InSouth Australia, one of thestates ofAustralia, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names. Regions are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the Murray River, the coastline, desert or mountains. Alternatively, the characteristics may be cultural, such as common land use. South Australia is divided by numerous sets of regional boundaries, based on different characteristics. In many cases boundaries defined by different agencies are coterminous.
Convention and common use has divided South Australia into a number of regions. These do not always have strict boundaries between them and have no general administrative function or status. Many of them correspond to regions used by various administrative or government agencies, but they do not always have the same boundaries or aggregate in the same way. The generally accepted regions are:
Most of the other regional divisions of the state use a combination of these same labels, sometimes grouped, and sometimes with precise boundaries that might be slightly different in each case.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has multiple regional structures for which it analyses and reports data. These regional structures derive from theAustralian Standard Geographical Classification (AGSC). The AGSC defines at the very smallest level, theCensus Collection District (CCD). These CCD's aggregate to form the Statistical Local Area (SLA), which is the common base unit for each of the larger regional structures.[8] The boundaries of the SLA are designed to be typically coterminous with Local Government Areas unless the LGA does not fit entirely into a Statistical Subdivision (SSD), or is not of a comparative nature to other LGA's.[8] Bureau of Statistics provides statistics for Local Government Areas, as well as three other statistical structures:Statistical Divisions,Statistical Regions, andStatistical Districts.
Statistical Divisions (SD) form the main structural hierarchy of statistical analysis. These regions are structured to provide a broad range ofsocial,demographic andeconomic statistics.[8] The basis for the boundary delineations center on socioeconomic criteria.[8] The eight Statistical Divisions in South Australia are:[9]
The AustralianBureau of Meteorology (BOM) provides forecasts and observations within South Australia and its adjoining waters using the following 15 land areas which are known as “districts” and 11 areas known as “coastal waters” which are located within both the state's jurisdiction and Australia'smaritime jurisdiction:[10][11]
South Australian government departments and agencies with some exceptions use a uniform set of boundaries to describe the extent of 12 administrative regions within the state which are used to “develop and improve reporting, planning and service delivery systems”.[12][13]
Adelaide Hills occupies the area in the Mount Lofty Ranges immediately east of the regions of East, Northern and Southern Adelaide, and consists of the following local government areas - theAdelaide Hills Council and theDistrict Council of Mount Barker.[14][13]
Barossa Light and Lower North occupies land located immediately of the north of theAdelaide metropolitan area and contains the following local government areas - theTown of Gawler, theAdelaide Plains Council, theBarossa Council and theLight Regional Council.[15][13]
Eastern Adelaide occupies the area to the immediate north, east and south of theAdelaide city centre and consists of the following local government areas: theCity of Adelaide, theCity of Burnside, theCity of Campbelltown, theCity of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, theCity of Prospect, theCity of Unley and theTown of Walkerville.[16][13]
Eyre Western consists of land on theEyre Peninsula which is part of a local government area, land in the west of the state on the coastline between Eyre Peninsula and the border withWestern Australia including theMaralinga Tjarutja lands, all of the islands within theGreat Australian Bight and those islands adjoining the Eyre Peninsula coastline. It includes the following local government areas -District Council of Ceduna,District Council of Cleve,District Council of Elliston,District Council of Franklin Harbour,District Council of Kimba,District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula,City of Port Lincoln,District Council of Streaky Bay,District Council of Tumby Bay,Wudinna District Council andCity of Whyalla.[17][13]
Far North consists of all inland regions in the north of the state including theAnangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands. It is bounded to the north and north-east by theNorthern Territory andQueensland, in part to the west by Western Australia and in part to the east byNew South Wales and by the regions of Eyre Western, Yorke and Mid North, and Murray and Mallee from west to east in the state's south. While most of it is in the state's unincorporated area, it does include the following local government areas - theCity of Port Augusta, theFlinders Ranges Council, theDistrict Council of Coober Pedy and theMunicipal Council of Roxby Downs.[18][13]
Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island consists of all of the land on both theFleurieu Peninsula andKangaroo Island, and some land to the north-east of the Fleurieu Peninsula including the western side ofLake Alexandrina and islands both in the Lake Alexandrina system and adjoining the coastline. It consists of the following local government areas: theAlexandrina Council, theCity of Victor Harbor, theKangaroo Island Council and theDistrict Council of Yankalilla.[19][13]
Limestone Coast consists of land in the south east of the state which includes the following local government areas - theCity of Mount Gambier and the District Councils ofGrant,Kingston,Robe,Tatiara andNaracoorte Lucindale, and theWattle Range Council.[20][13]
Murray and Mallee consists of land in the east of the state extending from the continental coastline in the south to the borders with New South Wales andVictoria in the east. It is also bounded by the Limestone Coast to its south and by the following regions to its west and north - Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island, the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Light and Lower North, Yorke and Mid North and Far North. It includes the following local government areas - theBerri Barmera Council, theCoorong District Council, theDistrict Council of Karoonda East Murray, theDistrict Council of Loxton Waikerie, theMid Murray Council, theSouthern Mallee District Council, theRenmark Paringa Council and theRural City of Murray Bridge.[21][13]
Northern Adelaide occupies the northern end of the Adelaide metropolitan area and consists of the following local government areas: theCity of Playford, theCity of Salisbury, theCity of Tea Tree Gully and the east half of theCity of Port Adelaide Enfield.[22][13]
Southern Adelaide occupies the southern end of the Adelaide metropolitan area and consists of the following local government areas: theCity of Holdfast Bay, theCity of Marion, theCity of Mitcham and theCity of Onkaparinga.[23][13]
Western Adelaide occupies the area in the Adelaide metropolitan area located to the north-west of the Adelaide city centre and consists of the following local government areas: theCity of Charles Sturt, theCity of West Torrens and the western half of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.[24][13]
Yorke and Mid North consists of land on theYorke Peninsula including some nearby islands and land on the east side ofSpencer Gulf extending from just south ofHamley Bridge in the south to just south ofQuorn in the north. The latter area is commonly known as theMid North. Yorke and Mid North consists of the following local governments within the area commonly known as the ‘Mid North’ - theDistrict Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys, theRegional Council of Goyder, theDistrict Council of Mount Remarkable, theNorthern Areas Council, theDistrict Council of Orroroo Carrieton, theDistrict Council of Peterborough, thePort Pirie Regional Council andWakefield Regional Council, and the following local government areas fully or partly within the Yorke Peninsula - theDistrict Council of Barunga West, theDistrict Council of the Copper Coast and theYorke Peninsula Council.[25][13]
South Australia'sprotected areas are grouped into 11 regions:[26]
TheNatural Resources Management Act 2004 established the following Natural Resources Management (NRM) regions “to give ownership of and responsibility for NRM to regional communities”: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin and the South East.[27][28]
Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) supports economic development in the non-metropolitan regions of South Australia. It identifies eight non-metropolitan regions:[29]
South Australia is divided into 47electoral districts each of which elects a single member into theSouth Australian House of Assembly (also called the lower house of parliament).
It is divided intoten electoral divisions which each elect a member into theHouse of Representatives of theParliament of Australia. These divisions are:
The federal divisions overlay the state electoral districts, but do not aggregate them. A state district may be divided amongst two or more federal divisions.
South Australia's Local Government Areas (LGAs) have grouped themselves into seven Regional Local Government Associations. These are:[30]
TheInterim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is abiogeographic regionalisation of Australia; divided into 89bioregions and 419 subregions. Each region is a land area made up of a group of interacting ecosystems that are repeated in similar form across the landscape. Regions and subregion cross state and territory boundaries. The bioregions that are located wholly or partly in South Australia are:[31]
South Australia has been divided into the following 12tourism regions for the purpose of coordinating both government and tourism industry efforts to promote South Australia as a visitor destination: Adelaide, Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare Valley, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula, Flinders Ranges and Outback, Kangaroo Island, Limestone Coast, Murray River, Lakes & Coorong, Riverland and Yorke Peninsula.[32][33]
The wine industry has a number of definedwine zones and regions, however they do not cover the entire state (especially as some areas are not suitable for growing grapes). These are controlled asAustralian geographical indications by theAustralian Grape and Wine Authority. As of March 2015, the following zones are in use in South Australia:Barossa,Far North,Fleurieu,Lower Murray,Limestone Coast,Mount Lofty Ranges andThe Peninsulas.[34]
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