Geography of the North Island explained

The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui,[1] is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is,[2] making it the world's 14th-largest island. It has a population of accounting for approximately % of the total residents of New Zealand.[3]

Twelve main urban areas (half of them officially cities) are in the North Island. From north to south, they are Whangārei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier, Hastings, Whanganui, Palmerston North, and New Zealand's capital city Wellington, which is located at the south-west tip of the island. Wellington is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state.[4]

Overview

During the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, the North and South islands were connected by a vast coastal plain which formed at the South Taranaki Bight.[5] During this period, most of the North Island was covered in thorn scrubland and forest, while the modern-day Northland Peninsula was a subtropical rainforest.[6] Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, eventually separating the islands and linking the Cook Strait to the Tasman Sea.[5]

Bays and coastal features

Lakes and rivers

Capes and peninsulas

Forests and national parks

Volcanology

Other

Climate

The climate of North Island is mainly temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb). Mean annual temperatures reach up to 16°C in the north.[7] There is a subtropical influence in the Northland Peninsula.[8] [9] Wellington the wettest of major cities in North Island, receiving around of precipitation annually.[10] Auckland and Wellington both receive a yearly average of more than 2,000 hours of sunshine. Snow is rare at sea level in North Island. Snow has accumulated in Wellington on rare occasions, including in 2011.[11] [12] Wellington is also the windiest city in the world.[13] Smog can occur on calm winter days in Auckland.[14]

Climate data

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Two official options for NZ island names . Staff Reporter . . October 10, 2013. December 20, 2018.
  2. Web site: Quick Facts – Land and Environment : Geography – Physical Features . Statistics New Zealand . 2000 . 13 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130408074526/http://www2.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/web/nzstories.nsf/092edeb76ed5aa6bcc256afe0081d84e/54e50d25aff60a7bcc256b1e007adcb6?OpenDocument . 8 April 2013 . dmy-all .
  3. Web site: 2017-10-26. 77% of NZers live in North Island. 2021-11-19. RNZ. en-nz.
  4. Book: Guinness World Records 2009 . Guinness World Records . Guinness World Records Ltd . 2008 . 978-1-904994-36-7 . London, United Kingdom . 277.
  5. Web site: Estuary origins . National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. 3 November 2021.
  6. Ray . N. . Adams . J.M. . A GIS-based Vegetation Map of the World at the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000–15,000 BP) . Internet Archaeology . 11 . 2001 . 11 . 10.11141/ia.11.2.
  7. Book: Brett . Mullan . Andrew . Tait . Craig . Thompson . Climate – New Zealand's climate . . March 2009 . http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/climate/1 . 15 January 2011.
  8. Book: Walrond, Carl . Natural environment – Climate . . March 2009 . http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/natural-environment/3 . 15 January 2011.
  9. Book: Orange, Claudia . Claudia Orange . Northland region . 1 May 2015 . . https://teara.govt.nz/en/northland-region/ . 4 May 2020.
  10. Web site: Mean monthly rainfall . https://web.archive.org/web/20110503221956/http://www.niwa.co.nz/__data/assets/file/0006/44268/rain.xls . 3 May 2011. . . 4 February 2011.
  11. News: Snow spotted in central Wellington . . 25 July 2011 . 1 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025072529/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5333010/Snow-surge-forecast-for-lower-North-Island . 25 October 2012 . live .
  12. News: Snow falls in downtown Wellington . . 15 August 2011 . 15 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025154053/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5442969/Snow-falls-in-downtown-Wellington . 25 October 2012 . live .
  13. News: Karl Mathiesen . 15 October 2015 . Where is the world's windiest city? Spoiler alert: it's not Chicago . The Guardian . live . 13 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160712131315/https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/oct/15/where-world-windiest-city-spoiler-alert-chicago-wellington . 12 July 2016.
  14. Web site: Auckland's air quality. Auckland Regional Council. 3 August 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20100415001727/http://www.arc.govt.nz/environment/air-quality/aucklands-air-quality/aucklands-air-quality_home.cfm. 15 April 2010. live.

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