Geography of New Zealand

New Zealand is in the South Pacific Ocean, covers a distance of 1600km in length and consists of two major islands and many small islands. Mountains and hills cover almost three-fourths of New Zealand. The two major ones are North Island which is 115000 square km and south island 151000 square km. The smaller islands are Stewart Island, Chatham Island, Auckland Island, Great Barrier Island, Resolution Island, D'Urville Island, Campbell Island, Adams Island, Waiheke Island and Secretary Island. Although these two main islands may look small on the map, they are larger than Great Britain and about the same size as Japan or California. The Cook Strait separates North Island and South Island. North Island is smaller than South Island, but most New Zealanders live there because there is more level land, and temperatures are milder. On South Island, the spectacular glaciated Southern Alps rise from the Tasman Sea and dominate the island. These mountains have often been described as one of the world’s most spectacular mountain ranges. New Zealand’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire makes the country prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. North Island has four volcanic peaks that are separated by a volcanic plateau. The volcanic plateau contains many hot springs, steam vents called fumaroles, and beautiful geysers.

 

 

 

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