BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER
L'île du Sud, en anglais South Island, est l'une des deux îles principales de la Nouvelle-Zélande, l'autre étant l'île du Nord.
Son nom maori est Te Wai Pounamu, en français «La rivière des pierres vertes», en raison de la néphrite que les Maoris y avaient découverte. Au XIXe siècle, plusieurs cartes la désignaient sous le nom de Middle Island ou New Ulster, le nom île du Sud ou New Leinster étant attribué à ce qui est aujourd'hui l'île Stewart. On la connait également sous le nom d'île de Jade.
L'île du Sud est la treizième plus grande île au monde. Le long de sa côte occidentale se trouvent les Alpes du Sud dont le mont Cook est le point culminant avec 3 754 mètres d'altitude.
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The South Island or Te Waipounamu is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate climate.
As it has a 33% larger landmass than the North Island it is often known as the "mainland"; however, only 23% of New Zealand's 4.5 million inhabitants live in the South Island. In the early stages of European (Pākehā) settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population and wealth due to the 1860s gold rushes. The North Island population overtook the South in the early 20th century, with 56% of the population living in the North in 1911, and the drift north of people and businesses continued throughout the century.
Son nom maori est Te Wai Pounamu, en français «La rivière des pierres vertes», en raison de la néphrite que les Maoris y avaient découverte. Au XIXe siècle, plusieurs cartes la désignaient sous le nom de Middle Island ou New Ulster, le nom île du Sud ou New Leinster étant attribué à ce qui est aujourd'hui l'île Stewart. On la connait également sous le nom d'île de Jade.
L'île du Sud est la treizième plus grande île au monde. Le long de sa côte occidentale se trouvent les Alpes du Sud dont le mont Cook est le point culminant avec 3 754 mètres d'altitude.
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The South Island or Te Waipounamu is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate climate.
As it has a 33% larger landmass than the North Island it is often known as the "mainland"; however, only 23% of New Zealand's 4.5 million inhabitants live in the South Island. In the early stages of European (Pākehā) settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population and wealth due to the 1860s gold rushes. The North Island population overtook the South in the early 20th century, with 56% of the population living in the North in 1911, and the drift north of people and businesses continued throughout the century.