Southland (region)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Southland Region
Environment Southland
Māori: Te Taiao Tonga
Geographical location
Southland Otago Canterbury West Coast Nelson Tasman Marlborough Northland Auckland Council Waikato Gisborne Bay of Plenty Hawke’s Bay Taranaki Wellington Manawatu-WanganuiSouthland in New Zealand.svg
About this picture
Location of the Southland region
Photo from Southland Region
SlopePoint.jpg
Southernmost point on the South Island of New Zealand
Local authority
Country New Zealand
island South island
Local authority region
Council Environment Southland Regional Council
Headquarters of the administration Invercargill
founding 1989
Telephone code +64 (0) 3
Website www.es.govt.nz
geography
Region ISO NZ-STL
Coordinates 46 ° 25 ′  S , 168 ° 21 ′  E Coordinates: 46 ° 25 ′  S , 168 ° 21 ′  E
Highest elevation 2474 m
surface 31 195  km 2
Residents 93 339 (2013)
Population density 2.99 inhabitants per km 2
Statistical data
Public revenue NZ $ 27.7 million  (2015)
Public expenditure NZ $ 29.4 million  (2015)
Number of households 43 008 (2013)
Ø income 29,500  NZ $ (2013)
Māori population 12.4% (2013)

The Southland Region is an administrative region on the South Island of New Zealand . In terms of area, it is the third largest region in the country. The regional administration, which is based in Invercargill , gave the region a new name in 1998 with Environment Southland . The council has been called the Environment Southland Regional Council since then . On the government side, however, the region is still called the Southland Region and the Southland Region Council .

geography

Geographical location

The Southland Region covers 31,195 km² of pure land area, the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand, including Stewart Island . With 93,339 inhabitants counted in 2013, the region has a population density of 3.0 inhabitants per km², making it the region with the second lowest population density in the entire country.

The west of the region is characterized by the alpine mountains of the New Zealand Alps , which run out to the coast in the southwest of the island. The north of the region, however, lies in the catchment area of ​​the Eyre Mountains and the Garvie Mountains . To the southeast of the Gore District , the Southland and Otago regions share the Catlins , a low mountain range on the southeast coast. The middle and eastern part of the region, on the other hand, is determined by wide plains, such as the Southland Plains and the Waimea Plains , which are used intensively for agriculture.

The Southland region is home to two national parks, Fiordland National Park and part of Mount Aspiring National Park in the northwest. The largest rivers in the region are the two over 200 km long Waiau River and Mataura River , both of which cross the region in a southerly direction and finally flow into the Foveaux Strait . The largest city in the region is Invercargill with around 51,700 inhabitants , followed by Gore with around 7350, Otatara with around 2500, Winton with around 2100, Te Anau with around 1850, Bluff with around 1800 and Riverton with around 1450 inhabitants.

climate

Due to its location, the region is particularly exposed to the prevailing westerly and south-westerly winds. They bring cool and rainy weather. With around 8000 mm of rainfall over the year, the southwest is one of the rainiest areas on earth. Protected by the mountains in the west, the eastern areas of the region are comparatively dry with 800 to 1200 mm of precipitation. The average daytime temperatures in summer are between 13 ° C and 20 ° C, depending on the altitude, cooler in the mountains and warmer in the plains. In winter, the western and southwestern coastal regions are comparatively warm at 4 ° C to 7 ° C. In contrast, the average daytime temperatures in Germany are often in the single-digit minus range, around 0 to 2 ° C. The annual sunshine duration is very unevenly distributed in the region. While the southwest is consistently less than 1300 hours, the duration of sunshine increases to around 1800 hours the further you go north or east.

population

Population development

In 2013, 11,607 of the region's 93,339 inhabitants were of Māori origin (12.4%). This means that 1.9% of the country's Māori population lived in the Southland region . The median income in the population in 2013 was NZ $ 29,500  compared to NZ $ 28,500 national average.

Origin and languages

When asked about ethnic group membership in the 2013 census, 89.0% said they were European, 13.0% said they had Māori roots, 2.1% came from the islands of the Pacific and 3.2 % came from Asia (multiple answers were possible). 10.2% of the population said they were born overseas. 2.5% of the population spoke Māori as the second most common language after English, among the Māori it was 14.4%.

politics

administration

The Southland Region has a Board of Directors, Environment Southland Regional Council , which is led by a Chairman . Twelve elected Councilors sit in the Council , representing a total of six so-called constituencies (constituencies). The following are the constituency Invercargill - Rakiura with six councilors , the constituency Eastern-Dome with two and the constituencies Fiordland , Western , Southern and Hokonui each with one councilor . The council members, who choose the chairman from their ranks, are re-elected every three years.

Furthermore, the region is divided into two districts and a city, each with its own council :

While the regional administration is responsible for the inland and coastal waters, for the ports, for land, air, erosion, disaster control, transport planning and regional development, the administrations of the districts are responsible for all other concerns of the citizens and the matters which are in a Local authority must be regulated.

Infrastructure

traffic

Road traffic

The region is connected by the New Zealand State Highway 1 , which begins in Bluff on the south coast and connects Invercargill with Dunedin in the northeast. The State Highway 6 connects Invercargill to Queenstown in the north, passing through the center of the region. The northwest of the region is connected to the State Highways 94 and 99 and the State Highways 90 , 93 , 96 and 98 provide cross connections within the region.

Rail transport

The South Island Main Trunk Railway connects Invercargill with Dunedin and the north of the South Island. Only goods are transported over the connection.

Air traffic

The airport west of Invercargill connects the region with all regional airports in the country.

Shipping

Via the natural harbor of Bluff , which connects the region with the other ports in the country. From Bluff from the island's Stewart Iceland in the south by ferry to reach.

Web links

Commons : Southland Region  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Southland  travel guide
  • Homepage . Southland Regional Council,accessed July 21, 2016.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Southland Regional Council . In: Local Councils . Department of Internal Affairs , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Southland Region - Population and dwellings . Statistics New Zealand , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b c Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  4. ↑ National Parks . Department of Conservation , accessed July 16, 2016 .
  5. ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Invercargill City - Population and dwellings . Statistics New Zealand , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  6. ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : North -, East -, Central -, West - and South Gore - Population and dwellings . Statistics New Zealand , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  7. ↑ GR Macara : The Climate and Weather of Southland . In: NIWA Science and Technologies Series . 2nd Edition. Number 63 . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research , 2013, ISSN 1173-0382 , p.   6, 16, 24, 30 (English, online PDF 2.9 MB [accessed on July 21, 2016]).
  8. ↑ 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Southland Region - Cultural diversity . Statistics New Zealand , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  9. ^ Councilors . Southland Regional Council , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  10. ^ Constituency map . Southland Regional Council , accessed July 21, 2016 .
  11. ↑ Glossary . In: Local Councils . Department of Internal Affairs , accessed July 21, 2016 .