Geography of New Zealand

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Geography of New Zealand
New Zealand
Continent Zealandia
Region Oceania
Coordinates 41° S 174° E
Area Ranked 75th
268,680 km²
103,738 miles²
97.9% land
2.1% water
Coastline 15,134 km
9,398 miles
Borders 0 km
Highest point Aoraki/Mount Cook
3,754 m (12,316 ft)
Lowest point Pacific Ocean
0 m
Longest river Waikato River
Largest lake Lake Taupo

The geography of New Zealand encompasses two main islands (called the North and South Islands in English, Te-Ika-a-Maui and Te Wai Pounamu in Māori) and a number of smaller islands, located near the centre of the water hemisphere. New Zealand varies in climate from cold and wet to dry and to subtropical in some areas. The dramatic and varied landscape of New Zealand has made it a popular location for the production of television programmes and films, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Last Samurai.

Neighbouring countries include Australia to the northwest and Tonga and Fiji to the north.

Contents

[edit] Physical geography

New Zealand has two main islands in Oceania located in the South Pacific Ocean at 41° S 174° E. It has a total area of 268,680 square kilometres (103,738 sq. mi) (including Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Islands, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands) making it slightly smaller than Italy and Japan and a little more than the United Kingdom.

New Zealand has a total 15,134 km (9,398 mi) of coastline and has extensive marine resources. The country claims the seventh-largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, covering over four million square kilometres (1.5 million sq mi), more than fifteen times its land area.[1] It has no land borders.

The South Island is the largest land mass and contains about one quarter of the New Zealand population. The island is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3754 metres (12,316 ft). There are eighteen peaks of more than 3000 metres (9800 ft) in the South Island. The east side of the island is home to the Canterbury Plains while the West Coast is famous for its rough coastlines, very high proportion of native bush, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.

The North Island is less mountainous than the South, but is marked by volcanism. The island's tallest mountain, Mount Ruapehu (2797 m / 9176 ft), is an active cone volcano. Lake Taupo is situated near the centre of the North Island and is the largest lake by surface area in the country. The lake lies in a caldera created following the largest eruption in the world in the past seventy thousand years (see Oruanui eruption).

[edit] Geology

Topography of New Zealand.
Topography of New Zealand.

New Zealand is situated on the division of two tectonic plates, the Pacific plate and the Australian plate. This results in volcanism all around the islands, especially the North Island. The country makes use of its moderate volcanism by producing heat energy and electricity in numerous hydrothermal power plants. New Zealand is able to provide all needed electricity due to the amount of water power in the South Island and the volcanic energy in the North Island. Some volcanic places are also famous tourist destinations, such as the Rotorua geysers. The two plates also cause regular earthquakes though are usually not severe.

There are many karst sedimentary rock formations that draw tourist attention. Among these are the Waitomo Caves and the Pancake Rocks.

[edit] Political geography

Regions of New Zealand (borders included).
Regions of New Zealand (borders included).
Main article: Regions of New Zealand

New Zealand consists of sixteen regions, seven are in the South Island and nine are in the North Island. New Zealand also has a number of outlying islands that are not included within regional boundaries. The Chatham Islands is not a region, although its council operates as a region under the Resource Management Act. The Kermadecs and the sub-Antarctic islands are inhabited only by a small number of Department of Conservation staff.

[edit] Climate

The climate in New Zealand is mostly cool temperate to warm temperate. Mean temperatures range from 8°C (46°F) in the South Island to 16°C (61°F) in the North Island.[2] January and February are the warmest months while July is the coldest. New Zealand does not have a large temperature range however the weather can change rapidly and unexpectedly. Subtropical conditions are seen in Northland.

Most areas of the country have between 600 and 1600 mm of rainfall with the most rain along the west coast of the South Island and the least rain on the east coast of the south island, predominantly on the Canterbury Plains. Christchurch is the driest city receiving about 640 mm (25 in) of rain per year, while Auckland is the wettest, receiving almost twice that amount.

New Zealand's UV index can be very high in some places and extreme in the hottest times of the year in the north of the North Island. This is partly due to the country's relatively little air pollution compared to many other countries.

There are three main factors that influence New Zealand's climate:[3]

[edit] Land use

Natural resources include: coal, gold, hydropower, iron ore, limestone, natural gas, sand, and timber.

Land use: [4]

  • arable land: 5.54%
  • permanent crops: 6.92%
  • other: 87.54% (2005)

Irrigated land: 2,850 km² (2003)

[edit] Natural hazards

Earthquakes are common, though usually not severe. Volcanic activity. Fire bans exist in some areas.

[edit] Environment

Current issues: Deforestation, soil erosion, native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species.

International agreements:

The pancake rocks near Punakaiki, a karst area formed of limestone.
The pancake rocks near Punakaiki, a karst area formed of limestone.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ministry for the Environment. 2005. Offshore Options: Managing Environmental Effects in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone. Introduction
  2. ^ From NIWA Science climate overview.
  3. ^ Statistics New Zealand climate page.
  4. ^ From CIA World Factbook, 2006 edition.

[edit] External links



v • d • e
Geography of Oceania

Australia

Australia · Norfolk Island · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Melanesia

East Timor · Fiji · New Caledonia · Papua New Guinea · Solomon Islands · Vanuatu

Micronesia

Guam · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Northern Mariana Islands · Federated States of Micronesia · Nauru · Palau

Polynesia

American Samoa · Cook Islands · French Polynesia · New Zealand · Niue · Pitcairn · Samoa · Tokelau · Tonga · Tuvalu · Wallis and Futuna
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