South Island (New Zealand)
| South Island Te Wai-pounamu |
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|---|---|---|
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| bodies of water | South Pacific | |
| Geographical location | 43° 59′ S , 170° 27′ E | |
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| surface | 150,437 km² | |
| highest elevation |
Aoraki / Mount Cook 3724 m |
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| resident | 1,038,300 6.9 inhabitants/km² |
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| main place | Christchurch | |
The South Island of New Zealand ( English South Island , Māori Te Wai-pounamu ) has an area of 150,437 km² and is separated from the more densely populated North Island by the 35 km wide Cook Strait . On it lies the Aoraki / Mount Cook in the New Zealand Alps , at 3724 m the highest peak in New Zealand and Oceania . In the east of the island, on the other hand, are the gently sloping Canterbury Plains and in the south numerous fjords .
The South Island is sparsely populated. Although its area is almost half the area of Germany, only about as many people live on the South Island as in Cologne . The largest cities in the South Island are Christchurch with 341,469 inhabitants and Dunedin with 120,249 inhabitants (as of 2013) .
The Māori name for the South Island is Te Wai-pounamu ('Jade Water') or Te Waka-a-Māui ('The Canoe of Māui ').
In the 19th century, what is now the South Island was referred to as the Middle Island . At that time, the small Stewart Island south of today's South Island was considered the South Island.
- Historical provinces of the South Island were
- Cities and communities on the South Island (selection)
- Ashburton
- Blenheim
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Greymouth
- Hokitika
- Invercargill
- Kaikoura
- Nelson
- oamaru
- Omarama
- Te Anau
- Timaru
- Queenstown
- Wanaka
- Westport
See also
web links
itemizations
- ↑ Carl Walrond : Natural environment - Geography and geology . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage 8 February 2005, accessed 6 May 2019 (English).
- ↑ Otto Spamer: Illustrirtes Handels-Lexikon, Springer 2019, 728 .