Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

It is the third largest island in Australia, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is 112 km southwest of Adelaide (Australia), at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland, is 13 km from Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is 150 km long and between 900 m and 57 km wide; It covers an area of 4,405 square kilometers and has 540 km of coastline, with its highest point Prospect Hill, 307 m. Separated from Yorke Peninsula to the northwest by Investigator Strait waters and Cape Jervis to the north, is the passage Backstairs

Kangaroo Island was separated from mainland Australia by rising sea levels nearly 9,000 years ago. Stone tools found suggest that the Australian aborigines occupied the land at least 11,000 years ago, presumably disappeared in the year 200 BC. The possible causes of this disappearance include diseases and inbreeding, war, climate change or the exodus.

In 1802, British explorer Matthew Flinders called "Kanguroo Island" after disembarking from Kangaroo Head on the north coast of Dudley Peninsula. It was closely followed by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin, who meanwhile called in tribute to Denis Decres Decres. Despite the state of war between France and England, the meeting was friendly. Nicolas Baudin completely mapped Kangaroo Island, which explains some French place names like Casoars Couedic or ravine.

An unofficial community of sailors and others settled on the island from 1802 to the time when the official settlement in South Australia in 1836. This group was formed by the sailors themselves, rough men, and a good number of trained kidnapped Aboriginal women who came from Tasmania and the mainland in the south.

The larger town of Kangaroo Island is Kingscote, which was originally founded on July 27, 1836, and was the first European settlement in South Australia.

Later it was suggested that Kingscote could serve as the capital of South Australia, but the resources of the island were not enough to accommodate this great community, being then chosen Adelaide.

Penneshaw, the second largest city in Kangaroo Island, has a population of about 300 inhabitants. and it is located at the northern end of the peninsula of Dudley, at the eastern end of the island.

According to Census 2006, the island has a population of 4,259 inhabitants.

Population growth has declined in recent years, with the lure of the continent for young adults the key factor. Census information indicates that the number of residents whose age is older than age 55 has increased from 24.1% in 2001 to 29.8% in 2006.

Its economy is primarily agriculture (wine, honey, meat and beans). Traditionally, sheep grazing was a key element in the island. However, in recent times, more diverse crops, such as potatoes and canola were introduced. Livestock also grew, with beef quality. Tourism and fishing also play an important role, the island receives over 186,000 visitors per year (www.tomm.info), and some of the best lobsters are obtained on the rugged southern coast of the island. Kangaroo Island also has the only eucalyptus oil distillery South Australia, which comes from the endemic species Eucalyptus cneorifolia.

There are 28 vineyards in Kangaroo Island. The first was planted in Eastern Cove in 1976 and the first wine was produced in 1982. It was mixed with wine Barossa Tolley. The Florance Vineyard was established under the supervision of B. Hayes of Eastern Cove, who produced his first wine - Eastern Cove Cygnet - and introduced at the University of South Australia in 1990. The wine carried the designation of origin as Kangaroo Island the first fully local wine.

The island is famous for its honey and for being the oldest bee sanctuary in the world. Ligurian bees were imported from the Italian province of Liguria in 1881, and this island now has the only pure strain of the world. As a result, the import of honeybees to Kangaroo Island is prohibited.www.australia.com/es-cl/places/kangaroo-island.html