Kangaroo IslandisAustralia's third-largestisland, afterTasmaniaandMelville Island. Situated in the state ofSouth Australia112km (70mi) southwest ofAdelaide, its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Point in Backstair Passage which is 13.5km (8.4mi) from theFleurieu Peninsula.
Once occupied byAustralian Aborigines, the native population disappeared after the land became an island following rising sea levels several thousand years ago. It was subsequently resettled from the early 19th century onwards, at first casually by sealers and whalers, and then as part of thecolony of South Australiafrom 1836.
The island has several nature reserves to protect the remnants of its natural vegetation and native animals, with the largest and best-known being Flinders Chase National Park at the western end.