Alice Springs is located in the Northern Territory of Australia and is the second-largest settlement in the Territory. The only other towns of significant size are
Darwin, the capital, and Katherine. Popularly described as "the Alice" or simply "Alice," Alice Springs is known as Mparntwe to its traditional inhabitants, the Arrernte. Alice Springs is almost equidistant between
Darwin and
Adelaide.
Alice Springs is best-known because of its proximity to Uluru (Ayers Rock), the monolithic rock that is one of Australia's best-known natural landmarks and an important focus of Aboriginal culture.