Land and People

New Zealand is located in the South Pacific Ocean，over 1，600 kilometers southeast of Australia.It has a land area of over 268，000 square kilometers and a coastline of about 15，000 kilometers.About two⁃thirds of the land is suitable for agriculture or industry on a significant scale，the rest being mountainous.The country is composed of two main islands，the South Island and the North Island，and numerous small islands.Other associated territories include the South Pacific islands of Niue and the Tokelaus，and part of the Antarctic continent;the total area of these comes to more than one million square kilometers.The North Island is the most mountainous part of the country;all of the major peaks there are volcanic in origin.Some of the volcanoes，like Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe，are still active，and volcanic activity is also the cause of for the island’s many hot springs and geysers.One of the ancient volcanic craters became Lake Taupo，the largest lake in New Zealand.The highest point in New Zealand，the 3，754⁃meter Mount Cook，is located on the South Island.This snow⁃capped peak is part of a chain called the Southern Alps，which include 17 peaks that are over 3，000 meters in elevation.Amidst these mountains lie glaciers and beautiful lakes.

The soil of a large part of the North Island is not very good for agriculture，but is suitable for forestry.The South Island has in its eastern part extensive alluvial plains that are formed by snow⁃fed rivers rushing out of towering mountains on the western coast.The most fertile and the largest of these are the Canterbury Plains，the main crop⁃producing area of the country.

Both the North and the South Islands are bisected by many swift and torrential rivers，making communication difficult but providing New Zealand with abundant water resources.The longest of these rivers is the Waikato on the North Island，and the swiftest is the Clutha River on the South Island.Other rivers of importance include the Cook River，the Cameron River，and the Fox River.

Apart from the South and North islands，there are a number of other islands that are sufficiently large and to be economically significant，such as the Chatham Islands and Stewart Island.