Major rivers and lakes in new zealand. Rivers and lakes of new zealand

New Zealand has a huge number of rivers, but at the same time, the overwhelming majority of them are small rivers. So, during a trip around the Taranaki volcano, located on Severny Island, a new river meets about every kilometer. In general, there are about 40 large river systems on Yuzhny Island, and about 30 on Severny Island.

Most of New Zealand's rivers are fed by either rain or snow. Many of them originate in the highlands, flowing afterwards to the plains and eventually flowing into either the Tasman Sea or the Pacific Ocean.

The longest river in the country is the Waikato River, which is 425 km long. The largest river in terms of water flow rate is considered to be the Kluta (about 614 m / s).

Numerous bridges are thrown across many rivers with wide floodplains or on which there are water-retaining dams. So, the most long bridge in New Zealand (1757 m). The total length of the rivers plotted on New Zealand maps is about 180 thousand km.

Since ancient times, New Zealand rivers have been widespread. The indigenous New Zealand people, the Maori, and in addition, the early European colonists used the rivers for movement. In total, about 1609 km of rivers in New Zealand are navigable, but at the same time, most of them today do not play an important transport role. Most of the rivers today are used for tourism and recreation: rafting, rowing, kayaking. New Zealand is one of the few countries in Oceania where the production of hydropower is developed. Numerous hydroelectric power plants operate on many New Zealand rivers.

New Zealand is located in the Southwest Pacific Ocean in the Polynesian Triangle in central area hemisphere of water. The main territory of the country is made up of two islands with corresponding names - South Island and North Island. The South and North Islands are separated by the Cook Strait. In addition to the two main islands, New Zealand has about 700 islands of a much smaller area, most of which are uninhabited.

The largest of these are Stewart Island, Antipodean Islands, Auckland Island, Bounty Islands, Campbell Islands, Chatham Archipelago and Kermadec Island. The total area of ​​the country is 268,680 km2. This makes it slightly smaller than Italy or Japan, but slightly larger than the UK. Length coastline New Zealand is 15,134 kilometers.

The South Island is the largest island in New Zealand, with an area of ​​151,215 km2. The island is home to about one fourth of the country's population. Along the island from north to south stretches the ridge of the folded mountains of the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Mount Cook, another official name- Aoraki) 3754 meters high. Besides her on South Island there are 18 more peaks over 3000 m. The eastern part of the island is more flat and is almost entirely occupied by agricultural land. West Coast the islands are much less densely populated. Significant massifs have been preserved here practically untouched nature with virgin flora and fauna. the western part is also famous for its numerous national parks, fjords and glaciers descending from the slopes of the Southern Alps directly into the Tasman Sea. The most big lake Islands - Te Anau (the second largest lake in New Zealand).

The North Island, with an area of ​​115,777 km2, is significantly less mountainous than the South Island, and is more convenient for creating settlements and seaports, which is why most of the population lives on it and the largest cities of the country are located here. The most high point North Island is an active volcano Ruapehu with a height of 2797 meters. The northern island is distinguished by high volcanic activity: out of six volcanic zones in the country, five are located on it. In the heart of the North Island is Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. From it originates the Waikato River, which is 425 kilometers long, making it the longest river in New Zealand.

New Zealand is isolated from other islands and continents by great sea distances. The Tasman Sea washing it on the western coast separates the country from Australia by 1,700 km. The Pacific Ocean washes the eastern coast of the country and separates the country from its nearest neighbors - in the north, from New Calendonia, by 1,000 km; in the east, from Chile, at 8700 km; and in the south of Antarctica at 2500 km.

The length of the coastal strip of New Zealand is 15,134 km. Territorial waters - 12 nautical miles. Exclusive Economic Zone - up to 200 nautical miles. The area of ​​the SEZ is approximately 4,300,000 km2, which is 15 times the area earth surface country. There are up to 700 small islands in the coastal waters of the country, most of them are located at a distance of up to 50 km from the main islands. Of the total, only about 60 are habitable or currently inhabited.

The relief of New Zealand is mainly represented by hills and mountains. More than 75% of the country's territory lies at an altitude of more than 200 m above sea level. Most of the mountains of the North Island do not exceed 1800 m. 19 peaks of the South Island are higher than 3000 m. The coastal zones of the North Island are represented by spacious valleys. There are fiords on the west coast of the South Island.

Geological structure of New Zealand

The islands that form New Zealand are located in the Cenozoic geosyclinal region between two lithospheric plates - the Pacific and Australian. For long historical periods, the place of the fault between the two plates has undergone complex geological processes that constantly change the structure and shape of the earth's crust. That is why, unlike most islands in the Pacific Ocean, the islands of New Zealand are formed not only as a result of volcanic activity, but also as a result of discharges and are composed of geological rocks of different compositions and different ages.

Active tectonic activity in the earth's crust of this region continues at the present geological stage of the formation of our planet. And its results are noticeable even in a historically short period of time since the beginning of the exploration of the islands by Europeans. For example, as a result of the devastating earthquake of 1855, the coastline near Wellington rose by more than one and a half meters, and in 1931, also as a result of a strong earthquake near the city of Napier, about 9 km2 of land rose to the water surface.

The location of New Zealand is historically associated with active volcanic activity on its territory. Researchers suggest its beginning in the early Miocene, and the formation of modern zones of increased volcanic activity was completed in the late Pliocene. The largest volcanic eruptions are believed to have occurred during the late Pliocene - early Pleistocene, when approximately 5 million cubic kilometers of rock could have erupted onto the Earth's surface.

At the present stage, the zone of increased tectonic activity and the associated high number of earthquakes is the western coast of the South Island and the northeastern coast of the North Island. The annual number of earthquakes in the country is up to 15,000, most of them are small and only about 250 annually can be classified as significant or strong. V modern history the strongest earthquake was recorded in 1855 near Wellington, with a force of about 8.2 points, the most destructive was the 1931 earthquake in the Napier region, which claimed 256 lives.

Volcanic activity in modern New Zealand is still high and there are 6 active volcanic zones in the country, five of which are located on the North Island. In the area of ​​Lake Taupo, the largest documented volcanic eruption occurred in the history of mankind, presumably in 186 BC. The consequences of the eruption are described in the historical chronicles of such remote places as China and Greece. The eruption site is now the largest in the Pacific freshwater lake, its area is comparable to the territory of Singapore.

Minerals of New Zealand

New Zealand is located on the border of the Indo-Australian and Pacific seismic rings. The processes of their interaction, including rapid lifting mountain ranges and active volcanic activity for two million years, determined the geology of the land mass of the islands.

Despite the variety of natural resources, only deposits of gas, oil, gold, silver, ferruginous sandstone and coal are industrially developed. In addition to the above, there are vast reserves of limestone and clays (including bentonite clay). Aluminum, titanium iron ore, antimony, chromium, copper, zinc, manganese, mercury, tungsten, platinum, heavy spar and a number of other minerals are often found, but their explored industrial reserves are small.

It should be especially noted that all the deposits and all the mining of jade since 1997 have been transferred to the management of the Maori, due to the important historical role that jade products (Maori Pounamu) play in the culture of this people. New Zealand's proven gold reserves are 372 tons. In 2002, gold production was a little less than 10 tons. New Zealand's proven silver reserves are 308 tonnes. In 2002, silver production amounted to almost 29 tons. Proven reserves of ferruginous sandstone amount to 874 million tons. Its commercial production began in the 60s of the XX century. In 2002, production was about 2.4 million tons.

New Zealand's proven natural gas reserves amount to 68 billion m3. Commercial gas production started in 1970. In 2005, natural gas production in the country amounted to approximately 50 million m3. Oil reserves are approximately 14 million tons, its commercial production began in 1935. Oil production in the country is significantly decreasing in last years... In 2005, oil production in the country amounted to just over 7 million barrels. Coal production, which has steadily increased for many decades, has stabilized in the first decade of the 21st century thanks to programs aimed at reducing the consumption of solid fuels. About a third of the coal mined is exported. Currently, 60 coal mines continue to operate in the country.

New Zealand climate

The climate of New Zealand varies from warm subtropical in the north of the North Island to cool temperate in the south of the South; the mountainous regions are dominated by a harsh alpine climate. A chain of high Southern Alps divides the country in half and, blocking the path to the prevailing westerly winds, divides it into two different climatic zones... The western coast of the South Island is the wettest part of the country; the eastern part, located only 100 kilometers from it, is the driest.

Most of New Zealand has rainfall between 600 and 1600 millimeters per year. They are distributed relatively evenly throughout the year, with the exception of drier summers.

The average annual temperature ranges from +10 ° C in the south to +16 ° C in the north. The coldest month is July and the warmest months are January and February. In northern New Zealand, the differences between winter and summer temperatures are not very significant, but in the south and in the foothills, the difference reaches 14 ° C. In the mountainous regions of the country, with increasing altitude, the temperature drops sharply, by about 0.7 ° C every 100 meters. In Auckland, largest city countries, the average annual temperature is + 15.1 ° C, while the highest recorded temperature was + 30.5 ° C, and the minimum was -2.5 ° C. In the capital of the country, Wellington, the average annual temperature is + 12.8 ° C, the maximum recorded temperature is + 31.1 ° C, the minimum is -1.9 ° C.

The number of hours of sunshine per year is relatively high, especially in areas sheltered from westerly winds. On average in the country, it is at least 2000 hours. Solar radiation is very high in most of the country.

Snowfalls are extremely rare in coastal areas in the north of the country and in the western part of the South Island, however, in the east and south, this island is prone to snowfall during the winter months. As a rule, such snowfalls are insignificant and of short duration. Night frosts in winter can occur throughout the country.

Rivers and lakes of New Zealand

Due to its special geological and geographical conditions, New Zealand has many rivers and lakes. Most of the rivers are short (less than 50 km), originate in the mountains and quickly descend to the plains, where they slow down. Waikato is the largest river in the country with a length of 425 km. The country also has 33 rivers with a length of more than 100 km and 6 rivers with a length of 51 to 95 km.

In New Zealand, 3,280 lakes with a water surface area of ​​more than 0.001 km2, 229 lakes have a water surface of more than 0.5 km2, and 40 - more than 10 km2. Largest lake countries - Taupo (area 616 km2), the most deep lake- Waikaremoana (depth - 256 meters) Most of the lakes of the North Island are formed as a result of volcanic activity, and most of the lakes of the South Island are formed by glacial activity.

The average annual volume of renewable water resources according to statistics from 1977-2001 in New Zealand is estimated at 327 km3, which is about 85 m3 / year per capita. In 2001, the resources of river flow and lakes amounted to about 320 km3, the resources of glaciers were about 70 km3, the resources of atmospheric moisture were about 400 km3, and the resources of groundwater were estimated at approximately 613 km3.

The protection and management of water resources and the water supply system for the population and economic facilities in New Zealand is under the jurisdiction of local governments. The cost of the main production assets of the water management complex is estimated at more than NZ $ 1 billion. Centralized water supply systems provide drinking water about 85% of the country's population. About 77% of the fresh water consumed in the country is used in irrigation systems.

New Zealand soils

In general, the country's soils are relatively poorly fertile and not rich in humus. The most common soil types are: Mountain soil types - making up about half of the country's territory (of which about 15% are devoid of vegetation). Brown-gray soil types - mainly found in the intermontane plains of the South Island (unproductive for productive agriculture, are used mainly as pastures). Yellow-gray soil types are typical for steppe regions and mixed forests and are used for active farming. Yellow-brown soil types are typical for hilly areas.

Fauna of New Zealand

Long historical isolation and remoteness from other continents have created a unique and in many ways inimitable natural world of the islands of New Zealand, characterized by a large number of endemic plants and birds. About 1000 years ago, before the appearance of permanent human settlements on the islands, mammals were historically completely absent. The exceptions were two species of bats and coastal whales, sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) and fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri).

Simultaneously with the arrival of the first permanent residents, Polynesians, on the islands, Polynesian rats and dogs appeared. Later, the first European settlers brought pigs, cows, goats, mice and cats. The development of European settlements in the nineteenth century caused the emergence of more and more species of animals in New Zealand.

The appearance of some of them had an extremely negative impact on the flora and fauna of the islands. These animals include rats, cats, ferrets, rabbits (brought into the country for the development of hunting), ermines (brought into the country to control the rabbit population), possums (brought into the country for the development of the fur industry). Lacking natural enemies in the surrounding nature, the populations of these animals reached sizes that pose a threat to agriculture, public health, and put the natural representatives of the flora and fauna of New Zealand on the brink of extinction. Only in recent years, through the efforts of New Zealand's environmental authorities, some of the coastal islands were rid of these animals, which made it possible to hope for the preservation of natural conditions there.

Among the representatives of the fauna of New Zealand, the most famous are the kiwi birds (Apterygiformes), which have become the national symbol of the country. Among the birds, it is also necessary to note kea (Nestor notabilis) (or nestor), kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) (or owl parrot), takahe (Notoronis hochstelteri) (or wingless sultanka). Only in New Zealand were the remains of the giant flightless birds moa (Dinornis), which were exterminated about 500 years ago, reaching a height of 3.5 m. A little later, presumably only about 200 years ago, the largest of known species eagles - the Haast eagle - with a wingspan of up to 3 meters and weighing up to 15 kg. Reptiles found in New Zealand include the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) and the skink (Scincidae).

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is the only representative of insectivores brought into the country and adapted to the free living conditions in it. There are no snakes in New Zealand, and of the spiders, only katipo (Latrodectus katipo) are venomous.

Fresh water bodies of the country are home to 29 species of fish, 8 of which are on the verge of extinction. The coastal seas are home to up to 3000 species of fish and other marine life.

Flora of New Zealand

New Zealand Subtropical Forest The flora of New Zealand has about 2,000 plant species, with endemics accounting for at least 70% of this number. The country's forests are divided into two main types - mixed subtropical and evergreen. The forests are dominated by polycarpous (Podocarpus). The thickets of New Zealand agathis (Agathis australis) and cypress dacridum (Dacrydium cupressinum) have survived, although they sharply decreased during the industrial development of forests.

Artificial forests, which total about 2 million hectares, are mainly cultivated with Radiant Pine (Pinus radiata), introduced to New Zealand in the middle of the 19th century. A radiant pine plantation in the Kaingaroa Forest area has created the world's largest artificially grown forest.

New Zealand has the highest number of liver mosses of any country. There are 606 varieties of them on the territory of the country, 50% of them are endemic. Mosses are widespread; 523 species are currently known in New Zealand.

Among about 70 species of forget-me-nots (Myosotis) known in nature, about 30 are endemic to New Zealand. Unlike forget-me-nots in other parts of the planet, only two species of these plants in New Zealand have blue color- Myosotis antarctica and Myosotis capitata. Of the 187 herbal varieties historically found in New Zealand, 157 are endemic.

In New Zealand, there are an unusually large number of ferns for this climate. Cyathea dealbata (also known in the country as the silver fern) is one of the generally accepted national symbols.

Population of New Zealand

As of February 2010, the population of New Zealand is about 4.353 million people. The bulk of the country's population is made up of New Zealanders of European descent, mostly descendants of immigrants from the UK. According to the 2006 census, the total share of the population of European descent is approximately 67.6% of the total population of the country. The indigenous people, Maori, make up about 14.6% of the population. The next two largest ethnic groups - representatives of the Asian and Polynesian peoples make up 9.2% and 6.5% of the country's population, respectively.

The average age of the country's inhabitants is about 36 years. In 2006, more than 500 people over the age of 100 lived in the country. In the same year, the share of the population under the age of 15 was 21.5%.

Population growth in 2007 was 0.95%. The crude birth rate in the same year was 13.61 births per 1,000 people, and the crude death rate was 7.54 deaths per 1,000 people.

Most New Zealanders live permanently (or for a long time) outside the country. The largest New Zealand diaspora lives in Australia (in 2000, the number of New Zealanders living in Australia was about 375,000) and in the UK (in 2001, about 50,000 people, while about 17% of New Zealanders have either British citizenship or the right to it receipt). Traditionally, New Zealanders living outside the country maintain close contact with their homeland, and many of them deservedly become among the outstanding representatives of their country.

According to the 2006 census, most of the population, about 56%, profess Christianity (in 2001, this figure was 60%). The most common denominations of Christianity in the country are Anglicanism, Latin Rite Catholicism, Presbyterianism, and Methodism. Followers of Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam make up the next largest religious communities in New Zealand. During the census, about 35% of the country's population did not associate themselves with religion (in 2001, this figure was 30%).

The total number of Maori is 565,329 people. For 15 years (1991-2006), the number of this people in the country has grown by almost 30%. About 47% of them are descendants of mixed marriages (mainly with Europeans). 51% of Maori living in New Zealand are men, 49% are women. Of these, 35% are children under 15 years old. The average age of Maori living in New Zealand is about 23 years. At the same time, the average age of women is slightly more than 24 years, and the average age of the male population is slightly more than 21 years.

About 87% of Maori live on the North Island and about 25% live in Auckland or its suburbs. The largest concentration of representatives of this people is observed on Chatham Island. 23% can communicate fluently in the Maori language. About 25% do not own it at all. About 4% of Maori have a university degree (or higher). About 39% of the total Maori population has a full-time job.

English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages ​​of the country. English is the main language of communication, and 96% of the country's population use it as such. Most of the books, newspapers and magazines are published on it, but it also prevails in radio and television broadcasting. The Maori language is the second state language. In 2006, the New Zealand Sign Language received the status of the third state language.

New Zealand dialect of English language close to Australian, but retained much greater influence of the English language southern regions England. However, it acquired some of the characteristic Scottish and Irish accents. The Maori language had a definite influence on pronunciation and some words of this language entered the daily communication of the multinational community of the country.

In addition, representatives of another 171 language groups live in the country. The most spoken languages ​​after English and Maori are Samoan, French, Hindi and Chinese. Russian and other Slavic languages ​​are of little use due to the small population for which these languages ​​are native.

Source - http://ru.wikipedia.org/

The river network on the islands of New Zealand is very dense. There is a lot of precipitation, and the rivers, especially on the North Island, are fed by rain. On the South Island, along with rains, melting of snow and ice is of great importance. Evaporation is low and the rivers are abundant. Only in the Canterbury Plain, catastrophic flooding occurs at times, caused by the rapid melting of snow and ice. As a rule, rivers start in the mountains and work their way along high and steep slopes, so they are fast flowing and often form rapids and waterfalls. Entering the plains, they slow down their current, often split into arms and deposit the material they brought from the mountains, piling up bars and shoals. In this regard, the rivers are of little navigational importance and are used for this purpose only in separate areas isolated from each other. Some of them originate from lakes and thus are naturally regulated, which is of great importance in hydro construction, and hydropower is the main form of energy in New Zealand. Since the country is small in size, the rivers are small in length. The longest are Waikato 354 km on the North Island and Klu-ta 338 km on the South Island. There are many picturesque deep lakes in the country. They have a diverse origin, but are mainly divided into two types: volcanic on the North Island of Taupo, Rotorua and glacial at the foot and in the intermontane basins of the Southern Alps. The latter fill the depressions formed by ancient glaciers and are distinguished by significant depths. So, the depth of Lake Uakotypu reaches 379 m, Manapauri is 445. The main parent rocks on which the soils are formed are represented by granites, limestones, sandstones, volcanic lavas, tuffs and ash. As a rule, the soil varieties formed on them are sufficiently supplied with mineral nutrients. For the subtropical regions of the country, where there is especially a lot of moisture and heat, yellow soils are characteristic. A distinctive feature of this type of soil is the presence of a large amount of organic matter, which makes them very fertile and suitable for use in agriculture... These soils are developed not only in the extreme northern part of the country, on the Auckland Peninsula, but also on the plains in the vicinity of Plenty Bay, in the southeastern part of the North Island and in the Westland province on the South Island. Chernozem-like soils are developed on the Canterbury Plain, once covered with steppe vegetation, but now plowed and occupied by various cultures. These are the most fertile soils in the country. They contain a lot of humus and minerals necessary for plants. The deep depressions of the South Island are characterized by chestnut soils, which are also fertile and widely used for growing various crops. In river valleys, alluvial soils have formed on alluvial formations, the fertility of which is also quite significant. In swampy lowlands, where there is excessive moisture, peat soils are widespread, and in mountainous regions, mountain-forest and mountain-meadow soils.

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rivers of new zealand world, rivers of new zealand
There are a large number of rivers in New Zealand, but the vast majority of them are small rivers. So, during a trip around the Taranaki volcano, located on Severny Island, a new river meets about every kilometer. in general, there are about 40 large river systems on Yuzhny Island, and about 30 on Severny Island.

Most of New Zealand's rivers are fed by either rain or snow. Many of them originate in the highlands, then flow into the plains and eventually flow into either the Tasman Sea or the Pacific Ocean.

The longest river in the country is the Waikato River, which is 425 km long. The largest river in terms of water flow is considered to be the Kluta (about 614 m³ / s).

Numerous bridges are thrown across many rivers with wide floodplains or on which there are water-retaining dams. Thus, the longest bridge in New Zealand (1757 m) runs across the Rakaia River. The total length of the rivers plotted on New Zealand maps is about 180 thousand km.

Since ancient times, New Zealand rivers have been widely used. The indigenous New Zealand people, the Maori, as well as the early European colonists used the rivers for movement. In total, about 1609 km of rivers in New Zealand are navigable, but most of them currently do not play an important transport role. Most of the rivers are currently used for tourism and recreation: rafting, rowing, kayaking. New Zealand is one of the few countries in Oceania with developed hydropower production. Numerous hydroelectric power plants operate on many New Zealand rivers.

• 1 List of twenty longest rivers
• 2 Other rivers longer than 100 km
• 3 See also
• 4 Notes
• 5 References

List of twenty longest rivers

Other rivers longer than 100 km

• Avatere
• Aparima
• Matueca
• Ngaruro (river)
• Patea
• Rakaia
• Rangitata
• Ruamahanga
• Tukituki
• Turakina
• Huairoa (Bay of Plenty)
• Huairoa (Northland)
• Hurunui

see also

• List of rivers in Oceania

Notes (edit)

1. 1 2 3 Young, David. Rivers. How New Zealand rivers are formed. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved April 2, 2010. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012.
2. Murray, D. L. (1975). Regional hydrology of the Clutha River (Journal of Hydrology (N.Z.)) 14 (2): 85–98. Retrieved on 2010-04-02.

Links

• Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand's longest rivers

rivers of new zealand, rivers of new zealand world, rivers of new zealand not

Rivers of New Zealand Information About

Page 1

Introduction

In my work I will try to tell you the basic information about New Zealand. I chose this state because it is not studied in the school curriculum, but, nevertheless, it is very interesting by all geographical estimates. Below are some basic facts about New Zealand.

§ Capital of New Zealand: Wellington

§ New Zealand area(73rd in the world): 269,000 sq km (including the North (115,000 sq. km.) and South (151, 000 sq. km.) Islands, Stewart and Chatman Islands, a number of small islands)

§ Highest point: Mount Cook - 3.754 m.

§ Coastal strip of new zealand: 15, 134 km.

§ Longest river in New Zealand: Waikato - 425 km.

§ The largest natural body of water in New Zealand: Lake Taupo, depth - up to 163 m., area 606 sq. km.

§ Natural resources : iron ore, gas, oil, gold, coal, timber, quartz sand.

§ Natural hazards: frequent, but rarely strong earthquakes, volcanic activity, no snakes and poisonous insects.

§ Population of New Zealand (120th in the world): 3,800,000 (2000), 84% of the population lives on the North Island, 85% of the population lives in cities. Life span: men 74.85, women 80.93. Population growth: 1.17% (2000)

§ Fertility rate: 14.28 / 1000 (2000)

§ Mortality rate: 7.57 / 1000 (2000)

§ Official language of New Zealand: English, Maori Currency unit: New Zealand dollar (NZD)

§ Public administration system: parliamentary democracy

§ Telephone code New Zealand: 64

Geographical position

The state of New Zealand is located in Southwest Pacific... The main territory of the country is made up of two islands with corresponding names - South Island and North Island. South and North islands are separated Cook Strait... In addition, the country also includes 61 other islands, much smaller in size. The total area of ​​the country is 268 680 sq. km.(which includes, in addition to the area of ​​the main islands, the area of ​​the Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Islands, Chatham Islands and Kermadec Islands). This makes it slightly smaller in area than Italy and Japan, and slightly larger than the UK. The coastline of New Zealand is 15,134 kilometers.

South island is an largest island, which is part of New Zealand. It is home to about one fourth of the country's population. Along the island from north to south stretches mountain range Southern alps, the most high peak chipped is a mountain Mount cook or Aoraki, tall 3754 meters... In addition to it, there are 18 more peaks on the South Island with a height of more than 3000 meters. The eastern part of the island is more flat and is almost entirely occupied by agricultural farms. The western coast is much less densely populated. Huge tracts of practically untouched nature with virgin flora and fauna have been preserved here. The western part is also famous for its numerous national parks, fjords and glaciers sliding down the slopes of the Southern Alps right into the Tasman Sea.

North island much less mountainous than the South. The highest point of the North Island is active Ruapehu volcano, height 2797 meters away... The northern island is distinguished by high volcanic activity; out of six volcanic zones in the country, five are located on it. In the very center of the North Island there is lake taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. From it originates Waikato river, the length of which is 425 kilometers making it the longest river in New Zealand.

Lake Taupo, center of the North Island