South Island

South Island

Te Waipounamu (Māori)
South Island
Geography
Location	Oceania
Coordinates	43°59′S 170°27′E / 43.983°S 170.450°E / -43.983; 170.450
Archipelago	New Zealand
Area	150,437 km2 (58,084 sq mi)
Area rank	12th
Length	840 km (522 mi)
Coastline	5,842 km (3630.1 mi)
Highest elevation	3,724 m (12218 ft)
Highest point	Aoraki / Mount Cook
Administration
New Zealand
ISO 3166-2:NZ	NZ-S
Regions	7
Territorial authorities	23
Largest settlement	Christchurch (pop. 403,300)
Demographics
Demonym	Kiwi, South Islander
Population	1,260,000 (June 2024)
Pop. density	8.3/km2 (21.5/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	European (82.8%), Māori (11.3%), Asian (10.3%), Pacific peoples (3.4%)

The South Island (Māori: Te Waipounamu, lit. 'the waters of Greenstone', officially South Island or Te Waipounamu or archaically New Munster) is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island and sparsely populated Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south by the Foveaux Strait and Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi),^[1] making it the world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitudes, it has an oceanic climate. The major centres are Christchurch, with a metropolitan population of 521,881, and the smaller Dunedin (population 134,600). The economy relies on agriculture, fishing, tourism, and general manufacturing and services.

Prior to European settlement, Te Waipounamu was sparsely populated by three major iwi, Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and the historical Waitaha, with major settlements including in Kaiapoi Pā near modern-day Christchurch. During the Musket Wars expanding iwi colonised Te Tau Ihu, a region comprising parts of modern-day Tasman, Nelson and Malborough, including Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne, Ngāti Tama, and later Ngāti Toarangatira after Te Rauparaha's wars of conquest. British settlement began with expansive and cheap land purchases early on, and settlers quickly outnumbered Māori. As a result the Wairau Affray was the only conflict of the New Zealand Wars to occur in the South Island. The island became rich and prosperous and Dunedin boomed during the 1860s Otago gold rush, which was shaped by extensive Chinese immigration. After the gold rush the "drift to the north" meant the North Island displaced the South as the most populous.

The South Island is shaped by the Southern Alps, which run along the island from north to south. They include New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki / Mount Cook, at 3,724 metres (12,218 feet). The high Kaikōura Ranges lie to the northeast. The east side of the island is home to the Canterbury Plains, while the West Coast is renowned for its rough coastlines, such as Fiordland, a very high proportion of native bush and national parks, and the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.

With a population of 1,260,000 as of June 2024,^[2] the South Island is home to 24% of New Zealand's 5.3 million inhabitants. After the 1860s gold rushes in the early stages of European settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population and wealth. The North Island's population overtook the South Island's in the early 20th century, with 56% of the New Zealand population living in the North Island in 1911. The drift north of people and businesses continued throughout the twentieth century.^[3]