Located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, at 1,500km east of
Australia,
New Zealand (
Aotearoa in
Māori) comprises two main landmasses - the
North Island (
Te Ika-a-Māui) and the
South Island (
Te Waipounamu) - and numerous smaller islands. Is long and narrow, and has a mild and temperate maritime climate. The South Island is divided along its length by the
Southern Alps, and the east side of the island is home to the
Canterbury Plains, while the West Coast is famous for its rough coastlines such as
Fiordland, and
Fox and
Franz Josef Glaciers. The North Island is less mountainous but is marked by volcanism. The highly active
Taupo Volcanic Zone has formed a large volcanic plateau, punctuated by the island's highest mountain,
Mount Ruapehu, and host of the country's largest lake,
Lake Taupo, nestled in a caldera. The country owes the varied topography to its position straddling the
Pacific and
Indo-Australian Plates. Actually it's part of
Zealandia, a microcontinent that gradually submerged, after breaking away from the
Gondwanan supercontinent. During its long isolation (80 million years), it developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life, most notable being the large number of unique bird species.
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