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New Zealand Cities with Hotels
 New Zealand (Maori Aotearoa), self-governing country in the South Pacific Ocean, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, situated southeast of Australia. It comprises two large islands-North Island and South Island-and numerous smaller islands, including Stewart Island to the south of South Island. The area of New Zealand is 270,534 sq km (104,453 sq mi). Associated with New Zealand are Ross Dependency (in Antarctica), Niue, Tokelau, and the Cook Islands (in the Pacific Ocean). The capital of the country is Wellington. Auckland is the largest city.
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New Zealand
Land and Resources
New Zealand is a generally mountainous country with several large regions of plains. Two-thirds of the area is between about 200 and 1070 m (about 650 and 3500 ft) above sea level; the country has more than 220 named mountains exceeding 2280 m (about 7500 ft) in height.
North Island has a very irregular coastline, particularly on its northern extremity. In the vicinity of the city of Auckland, the peninsula is only about 10 km (about 6 mi) wide. The principal mountain ranges of North Island extend along the eastern side. A volcanic range in the north central region has three active volcanic peaks: Mount Ruapehu (2797 m/9176 ft), the highest point on the island; Mount Ngauruhoe (2287 m/7503 ft); and Tongariro (1967 m/6453 ft). Mount Taranaki (2518 m/8260 ft), a solitary, extinct volcanic cone, is situated near the western extremity of the island. North Island has numerous rivers, most of which rise in the eastern and central mountains. The Waikato River (435 km/270 mi long), the longest river of New Zealand, flows north out of Lake Taupo (606 sq km/234 sq mi), the largest lake in New Zealand, and empties into the Tasman Sea in the west. Numerous mineral hot springs are in the Lake Taupo district.
South Island has a more regular coastline than that of North Island; in the southwest, however, the coast is indented by deep fjords. The chief mountain range of South Island is the Southern Alps, a massive uplift extending in a southwestern to northeastern direction for almost the entire length of the island; 17 peaks in the range exceed 3050 m (10,000 ft) in elevation. Mount Cook (3754 m/12,316 ft), the highest point in New Zealand, rises from the center of the range, which also has a number of glaciers. Most of the rivers of South Island, including the Clutha River (338 km/210 mi long), the longest river of the island, rise in the Southern Alps. The Clutha is formed by the confluence of two branches originating, respectively, in Lake Hawea (124 sq km/48 sq mi) and Lake Wanaka (194 sq km/75 sq mi) and empties into the Pacific Ocean. The largest lake on the island is Lake Te Anau (342 sq km/132 sq mi) in the southern part of the Southern Alps. The Canterbury Plains in the east and the Southland plains in the extreme south are the only extensive lowland areas of South Island.
Climate
New Zealand lies within the Temperate Zone; the climate is generally mild, and seasonal differences are not great. The north end of the Auckland Peninsula has the warmest climate; the coldest climate occurs on the southwestern slopes of the Southern Alps. Rainfall is generally moderate to abundant and, except in a small area in the south central part of South Island, exceeds 500 mm (20 in) annually. The heaviest rainfall (about 5600 mm/about 220 in) occurs around Milford Sound on the southwestern coast of South Island. The average temperature at Wellington varies between 20° C (68° F) in January and 6° C (42° F) in July; the average rainfall is 1230 mm (48 in). In Auckland, the average January and July temperatures are 23° C (74° F) and 8° C (46° F), respectively; the annual rainfall is 1850 mm (73 in).
"New Zealand," Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia.
© 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Last Revised: November 15, 2008 03:56 PM. |
