Geografia De Nueva Zelanda

4. Geography

4.1 Territorial area

The geography of New Zealand encompasses two main islands (the North and South Islands, Te-Ika-a-Maui and Te Wai Pounamu in Māori) and a number ofsmaller 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 and most of the landscape is mountainous. 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.

Area Ranked 76th

267,710 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 Taieri Plains

-2 m

Longest river Waikato River

Largest lake Lake Taupo

4.2 Region

Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life; most notable are the large number of unique bird species. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. The region is a top tier of local government in New Zealand. There are 16 regions of New Zealand. Eleven are governed by an elected regional council, while five are governed by territorial authorities (a second tier of local government) which also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities. The Chatham Islands Council is similar to a unitary authority, but is authorised under its own enabling legislation.

4.3 Population

The demographics of New Zealand encompass the gender, ethnic, religious, geographic, and economic backgrounds of the 4.4 million people living in New Zealand. Waiheke Island (near Auckland) is easily the most populated smaller island with 7,689 residents, while Great Barrier Island, the Chatham and Pitt Islands and Stewart Island each have populations below 1,000. New Zealand is part of a realm and most people born in the realm's external territories of Tokelau, the Ross Dependency, the Cook Islandsand Niue are considered New Zealanders. In 2006, more people who identified themselves with these islands lived in New Zealand than on the Islands

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