81-803: The Mueller River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand 's South Island . It flows generally north from its sources in the Southern Alps , reaching the Turnbull River 14 kilometres from the latter's mouth. The entire length of the Mueller River is within Mount Aspiring National Park . "Place name detail: Mueller River" . New Zealand Gazetteer . New Zealand Geographic Board . Retrieved 12 July 2009 . This article about
162-658: A captain in the Russian Imperial Navy ; Edward Bransfield , a captain in the Royal Navy ; and Nathaniel Palmer , an American sailor out of Stonington, Connecticut . It is certain that the expedition, led by von Bellingshausen and Lazarev on the ships Vostok and Mirny , reached a point within 32 km (20 mi) from Princess Martha Coast and recorded the sight of an ice shelf at 69°21′28″S 2°14′50″W / 69.35778°S 2.24722°W / -69.35778; -2.24722 that became known as
243-462: A land in 50° S which he called South France, and believed to be the central mass of the southern continent. He was sent out again to complete the exploration of the new land, and found it to be only an inhospitable island which he renamed the Isle of Desolation, but which was ultimately named after him . The obsession of the undiscovered continent culminated in the brain of Alexander Dalrymple ,
324-467: A rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period ; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal . First settled by Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 AD, the area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in pounamu greenstone. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern New Zealand dollars ' worth of
405-627: A river in the West Coast Region of New Zealand is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . West Coast Region The West Coast ( Māori : Te Tai Poutini , lit. 'The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha ') is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island . It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council , and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini . It comprises
486-691: A size of 21,960,000 km (8,480,000 sq mi), it is the second-smallest of the five principal oceanic divisions, smaller than the Pacific , Atlantic and Indian oceans, and larger than the Arctic Ocean . The maximum depth of the Southern Ocean, using the definition that it lies south of 60th parallel, was surveyed by the Five Deeps Expedition in early February 2019. The expedition's multibeam sonar team identified
567-466: Is also the most sparsely populated region, with just 1.50 people per square kilometre (3.88 per square mile). West Coast Region had a population of 33,390 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 1,815 people (5.7%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 1,242 people (3.9%) since the 2013 census . There were 17,031 males, 16,245 females and 117 people of other genders in 14,793 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
648-576: Is at Shantytown . Other towns and settlements include: The West Coast region is governed by the West Coast Regional Council. Currently, it is chaired by Peter Haddock. The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the West Coast was estimated at NZ$ 2,373 million in the year to March 2022, 0.7% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $ 72,127 in the same period. The region had one of
729-418: Is discussed in more detail below, prior to the 2002 edition the limits of oceans explicitly excluded the seas lying within each of them. The Great Australian Bight was unnamed in the 1928 edition, and delineated as shown in the figure above in the 1937 edition. It therefore encompassed former Southern Ocean waters—as designated in 1928—but was technically not inside any of the three adjacent oceans by 1937. In
810-484: Is important because it makes up the second half of the global thermohaline circulation , after the better known Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Much like AMOC, it has also been substantially affected by climate change , in ways that have increased ocean stratification , and which may also result in the circulation substantially slowing or even passing a tipping point and collapsing outright. The latter would have adverse impacts on global weather and
891-907: Is in Greymouth. The region has been included in the "Top 10 Coastal Drives of the World" by Lonely Planet . The region has the only New Zealand nesting place of the kōtuku (white heron) , at the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve , visited by tours from the small farming township of Whataroa . This rare bird appears on the $ 2 coin. Over 80% of West Coast land is administered by the Department of Conservation, much of this being in National Parks. These include from north to south, parts of Kahurangi NP, Paparoa NP, parts of Arthurs Pass NP, Westland NP, parts of Aspiring NP plus
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#1732787320933972-518: Is very scenic, with wild coastlines, mountains and a very high proportion of native bush , much of it native temperate rain forest . It is the only part of New Zealand where significant tracts of lowland forest remain: elsewhere, for instance on the Canterbury Plains and in the Firth of Thames , they have been almost completely destroyed for settlement and agriculture. Scenic areas include
1053-586: The Fimbul Ice Shelf . On 30 January 1820, Bransfield sighted Trinity Peninsula , the northernmost point of the Antarctic mainland, while Palmer sighted the mainland in the area south of Trinity Peninsula in November 1820. Von Bellingshausen's expedition also discovered Peter I Island and Alexander I Island , the first islands to be discovered south of the circle. In December 1839, as part of
1134-725: The Haast Pass , Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers , Hokitika Gorge , Lake Brunner , the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki , the Oparara Arches and the Heaphy Track . The region has very high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind pattern and the location of the Southern Alps, which give rise to heavy orographic precipitation . The rain shadow effect is responsible for the relatively arid climate of
1215-627: The Strait of Magellan in 1520, assumed that the islands of Tierra del Fuego to the south were an extension of this unknown southern land. In 1564, Abraham Ortelius published his first map, Typus Orbis Terrarum , an eight-leaved wall map of the world, on which he identified the Regio Patalis with Locach as a northward extension of the Terra Australis , reaching as far as New Guinea . European geographers continued to connect
1296-709: The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–42 conducted by the United States Navy (sometimes called "the Wilkes Expedition"), an expedition sailed from Sydney, Australia, on the sloops-of-war USS Vincennes and USS Peacock , the brig USS Porpoise , the full-rigged ship Relief , and two schooners Sea Gull and USS Flying Fish . They sailed into the Antarctic Ocean, as it
1377-744: The parallel 60° south latitude was discovered by the Englishman William Smith , who sighted Livingston Island on 19 February 1819. A few months later Smith returned to explore the other islands of the South Shetlands archipelago, landed on King George Island , and claimed the new territories for Britain. In the meantime, the Spanish Navy ship San Telmo sank in September 1819 when trying to cross Cape Horn. Parts of her wreckage were found months later by sealers on
1458-499: The territorial authorities of Buller District , Grey District and Westland District . The principal towns are Westport , Greymouth and Hokitika . The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023. The region has
1539-399: The "South Land" – described by a half legendary " sieur de Gonneyville " – resulted in the discovery of Bouvet Island in 54°10′ S, and in the navigation of 48° of longitude of ice-cumbered sea nearly in 55° S in 1730. In 1771, Yves Joseph Kerguelen sailed from France with instructions to proceed south from Mauritius in search of "a very large continent". He lighted upon
1620-608: The 16th and the early part of the 17th centuries. The Spaniard Gabriel de Castilla , who claimed having sighted "snow-covered mountains" beyond the 64° S in 1603, is recognized as the first explorer that discovered the continent of Antarctica, although he was ignored in his time. In 1606, Pedro Fernández de Quirós took possession for the king of Spain all of the lands he had discovered in Australia del Espiritu Santo (the New Hebrides ) and those he would discover "even to
1701-430: The 1770s, James Cook proved that waters encompassed the southern latitudes of the globe. Yet, geographers have often disagreed on whether the Southern Ocean should be defined as a body of water bound by the seasonally fluctuating Antarctic Convergence - an oceanic zone where cold, northward flowing waters from the Antarctic mix with warmer Subantarctic waters, or not defined at all, with its waters instead treated as
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#17327873209331782-449: The 1953 third edition of Limits of Oceans and Seas , a note in the publication read: The Antarctic or Southern Ocean has been omitted from this publication as the majority of opinions received since the issue of the 2nd Edition in 1937 are to the effect that there exists no real justification for applying the term Ocean to this body of water, the northern limits of which are difficult to lay down owing to their seasonal change. The limits of
1863-539: The 2002 draft edition, the IHO have designated "seas" as subdivisions within "oceans", so the Bight would have still been within the Southern Ocean in 1937 if the 2002 convention were in place then. To perform direct comparisons of current and former limits of oceans it is necessary to consider, or at least be aware of, how the 2002 change in IHO terminology for "seas" can affect the comparison. The Southern Ocean did not appear in
1944-399: The 2019–2020 season, there were 150,000 milking cows on the West Coast, 3.0% of the country's total herd. The cows produced 50,700 tonnes of milk solids, worth $ 365 million at the national average farmgate price ($ 7.20 per kg). Other industries are the manufacturing and sales of greenstone jewellery, sphagnum moss gathering and stone-collection for garden landscaping. Monteith's brewery
2025-548: The Antarctic Circle, or knew it, if they did. In a voyage from 1822 to 1824, James Weddell commanded the 160-ton brig Jane , accompanied by his second ship Beaufoy captained by Matthew Brisbane. Together they sailed to the South Orkneys where sealing proved disappointing. They turned south in the hope of finding a better sealing ground. The season was unusually mild and tranquil, and on 20 February 1823
2106-645: The Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans have therefore been extended South to the Antarctic Continent. Hydrographic Offices who issue separate publications dealing with this area are therefore left to decide their own northern limits (Great Britain uses Latitude of 55 South.) Instead, in the IHO 1953 publication, the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans were extended southward, the Indian and Pacific Oceans (which had not previously touched pre 1953, as per
2187-681: The CIA World Fact Book ) which already adopted the principle that seas are contained within oceans. This difference in practice is markedly seen for the Pacific Ocean in the adjacent figure. Thus, for example, previously the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand was not regarded by the IHO as part of the Pacific, but as of the 2002 draft edition it is. The new delineation of seas as subdivisions of oceans has avoided
2268-552: The Canterbury Plains on the other side of the Southern Alps. The region is home to Ngāi Tahu , who value it for the greenstone (pounamu) found there in abundance. The region was only occasionally visited by Europeans until the discovery of gold near the Taramakau River in 1864 by two Māori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors, many of them around
2349-627: The Hokitika area, which in 1866 was briefly the most populous settlement in New Zealand. The region was divided between Nelson Province and Canterbury Province from 1853: in 1873 the Canterbury portion of the region formed its own province, the Westland Province , until the abolition of the provincial system in 1876. The West Coast gold rush between 1864 and 1867 created numerous gold rush towns such as Ōkārito, which at one time
2430-475: The National Geographic web site have begun to reference the Southern Ocean. A radical shift from past IHO practices (1928–1953) was also seen in the 2002 draft edition when the IHO delineated "seas" as subdivisions within the boundaries of "oceans". While the IHO are often considered the authority for such conventions, the shift brought them into line with the practices of other publications (e.g.
2511-591: The Pole". Francis Drake , like Spanish explorers before him, had speculated that there might be an open channel south of Tierra del Fuego. When Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire discovered the southern extremity of Tierra del Fuego and named it Cape Horn in 1615, they proved that the Tierra del Fuego archipelago was of small extent and not connected to the southern land, as previously thought. Subsequently, in 1642, Abel Tasman showed that even New Holland (Australia)
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2592-708: The South Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope between 55° and 60° . He thereby laid open the way for future Antarctic exploration by exploding the myth of a habitable southern continent. Cook's most southerly discovery of land lay on the temperate side of the 60th parallel , and he convinced himself that if land lay farther south it was practically inaccessible and without economic value. Voyagers rounding Cape Horn frequently met with contrary winds and were driven southward into snowy skies and ice-encumbered seas; but so far as can be ascertained none of them before 1770 reached
2673-718: The South Westland World Heritage Area. Each of these parks have flora and fauna common to all areas, as well as species, like kiwi, particular to those areas. Four roads run into the West Coast Region. The main road running the length of the region is State Highway 6 . It connects to the Tasman District in the north through the Buller Gorge , and to Otago in the south via Haast Pass . Two roads connect to Canterbury to
2754-688: The Southern Ocean as extending as far north as South America, and confers great significance on the Antarctic Convergence , yet its description of the Indian Ocean contradicts this, describing the Indian Ocean as extending south to Antarctica. Other sources, such as the National Geographic Society , show the Atlantic , Pacific , and Indian oceans as extending to Antarctica on its maps, although articles on
2835-538: The Southern Ocean was delineated by land-based limits: Antarctica to the south, and South America, Africa, Australia, and Broughton Island, New Zealand to the north. The detailed land-limits used were from Cape Horn in Chile eastward to Cape Agulhas in Africa, then further eastward to the southern coast of mainland Australia to Cape Leeuwin , Western Australia . From Cape Leeuwin, the limit then followed eastward along
2916-558: The Southern Ocean was inspired by a belief in the existence of a Terra Australis – a vast continent in the far south of the globe to "balance" the northern lands of Eurasia and North Africa – which had existed since the times of Ptolemy . The rounding of the Cape of Good Hope in 1487 by Bartolomeu Dias first brought explorers within touch of the Antarctic cold, and proved that there was an ocean separating Africa from any Antarctic land that might exist. Ferdinand Magellan , who passed through
2997-713: The Southern Ocean were moved southward in the IHO's 1937 second edition of the Limits of Oceans and Seas . From this edition, much of the ocean's northern limit ceased to abut land masses. In the second edition, the Southern Ocean then extended from Antarctica northward to latitude 40°S between Cape Agulhas in Africa (long. 20°E) and Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia (long. 115°E), and extended to latitude 55°S between Auckland Island of New Zealand (165 or 166°E east) and Cape Horn in South America (67°W). As
3078-511: The Southern Ocean. In Australia, cartographical authorities define the Southern Ocean as including the entire body of water between Antarctica and the south coasts of Australia and New Zealand, and up to 60°S elsewhere. Coastal maps of Tasmania and South Australia label the sea areas as Southern Ocean and Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia is described as the point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. Exploration of
3159-745: The Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa , the first European to discover the Pacific, who approached it from the north in Panama . The "South Seas" is a less archaic synonym. A 1745 British Act of Parliament established a prize for discovering a Northwest Passage to "the Western and Southern Ocean of America ". Authors using "Southern Ocean" to name the waters encircling the unknown southern polar regions used varying limits. James Cook 's account of his second voyage implies New Caledonia borders it. Peacock's 1795 Geographical Dictionary said it lay "to
3240-428: The best remaining stands of native forest, along with a wealth of rare wildlife. Ecotourism is now an important industry, and this goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts. The West Coast region covers 23,245.52 km (8,975.15 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 34,800 as of June 2024, 0.7% of New Zealand's population. It is the least populous of New Zealand's sixteen regions. The West Coast
3321-698: The brilliant and erratic hydrographer who was nominated by the Royal Society to command the Transit of Venus expedition to Tahiti in 1769. The command of the expedition was given by the admiralty to Captain James Cook . Sailing in 1772 with Resolution , a vessel of 462 tons under his own command and Adventure of 336 tons under Captain Tobias Furneaux , Cook first searched in vain for Bouvet Island , then sailed for 20 degrees of longitude to
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3402-420: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,658 (9.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 15,825 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,490 (30.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 32,700, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 1,956 people (7.0%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
3483-497: The coast of Tierra del Fuego with the coast of New Guinea on their globes, and allowing their imaginations to run riot in the vast unknown spaces of the south Atlantic, south Indian and Pacific oceans they sketched the outlines of the Terra Australis Incognita ("Unknown Southern Land"), a vast continent stretching in parts into the tropics. The search for this great south land was a leading motive of explorers in
3564-516: The coast of mainland Australia to Cape Otway , Victoria , then southward across Bass Strait to Cape Wickham , King Island , along the west coast of King Island, then the remainder of the way south across Bass Strait to Cape Grim , Tasmania . The limit then followed the west coast of Tasmania southward to the South East Cape and then went eastward to Broughton Island, New Zealand, before returning to Cape Horn. The northern limits of
3645-555: The content, such as the naming dispute over the Sea of Japan . The 2000 IHO definition was circulated as a draft edition in 2002, and is used by some within the IHO and other organizations, such as the CIA World Factbook and Merriam-Webster . The Australian Government regards the Southern Ocean as lying immediately south of Australia (see § Australian standpoint ). The National Geographic Society recognized
3726-406: The deepest point at 60° 28' 46"S, 025° 32' 32"W, with a depth of 7,434 metres (24,390 ft). The expedition leader and chief submersible pilot Victor Vescovo , has proposed naming this deepest point the "Factorian Deep", based on the name of the crewed submersible DSV Limiting Factor , in which he successfully visited the bottom for the first time on February 3, 2019. By way of his voyages in
3807-433: The discovery of which he had received news at Cape Town , but from the rough determination of his longitude by Kerguelen, Cook reached the assigned latitude 10° too far east and did not see it. He turned south again and was stopped by ice in 61° 52′ S by 95° E and continued eastward nearly on the parallel of 60° S to 147° E . On 16 March, the approaching winter drove him northward for rest to New Zealand and
3888-424: The east, State Highway 7 through Lewis Pass to North Canterbury and State Highway 73 via Arthur's Pass to Christchurch . The Midland railway line is the only railway line into the region. It links to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass. The TranzAlpine train service runs return between Christchurch and Greymouth daily and freight lines extend to Ngākawau and Hokitika . Daily passenger flights operate into
3969-566: The expedition regained Tahiti for refreshment. In November 1774, Cook started from New Zealand and crossed the South Pacific without sighting land between 53° and 57° S to Tierra del Fuego; then, passing Cape Horn on 29 December, he rediscovered Roché Island renaming it Isle of Georgia , and discovered the South Sandwich Islands (named Sandwich Land by him), the only ice-clad land he had seen, before crossing
4050-535: The first and second editions) now abutted at the meridian of South East Cape , and the southern limits of the Great Australian Bight and the Tasman Sea were moved northward. The IHO readdressed the question of the Southern Ocean in a survey in 2000. Of its 68 member nations, 28 responded, and all responding members except Argentina agreed to redefine the ocean, reflecting the importance placed by oceanographers on ocean currents . The proposal for
4131-456: The first edition being 1928. Since the first edition, the limits of the Southern Ocean have moved progressively southward; since 1953, it has been omitted from the official publication and left to local hydrographic offices to determine their own limits. The IHO included the ocean and its definition as the waters south of the 60th parallel south in its 2000 revisions, but this has not been formally adopted, due to continuing impasses about some of
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#17327873209334212-573: The function of marine ecosystems here, unfolding over centuries. The ongoing warming is already changing marine ecosystems here. Borders and names for oceans and seas were internationally agreed when the International Hydrographic Bureau , the precursor to the IHO, convened the First International Conference on 24 July 1919. The IHO then published these in its Limits of Oceans and Seas ,
4293-416: The indigenous Kāi Tahu and those who come from admixing between the two populations. The region was also heavily sought after by nuclear weapons states in the 1950s for its abundant resources of uranium , which many West Coasters found objectionable. The West Coast is the only region of New Zealand where coal mining is still widely practiced. The name Westland is used by some New Zealanders to refer to
4374-573: The island in 1775. Edmond Halley 's voyage in HMS ; Paramour for magnetic investigations in the South Atlantic met the pack ice in 52° S in January 1700, but that latitude (he reached 140 mi [230 km] off the north coast of South Georgia ) was his farthest south. A determined effort on the part of the French naval officer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier to discover
4455-534: The name Southern Ocean won 18 votes, beating the alternative Antarctic Ocean . Half of the votes supported a definition of the ocean's northern limit at the 60th parallel south —with no land interruptions at this latitude—with the other 14 votes cast for other definitions, mostly the 50th parallel south , but a few for as far north as the 35th parallel south . Notably the Southern Ocean Observing System collates data from latitudes higher than 40 degrees south. A draft fourth edition of Limits of Oceans and Seas
4536-467: The need to interrupt the northern boundary of the Southern Ocean where intersected by Drake Passage which includes all of the waters from South America to the Antarctic coast, nor interrupt it for the Scotia Sea , which also extends below the 60th parallel south. The new delineation of seas has also meant that the long-time named seas around Antarctica, excluded from the 1953 edition (the 1953 map did not even extend that far south), are automatically part of
4617-469: The north coast of Livingston Island ( South Shetlands ). It is unknown if some survivor managed to be the first to set foot on these Antarctic islands. The first confirmed sighting of mainland Antarctica cannot be accurately attributed to one single person. It can be narrowed down to three individuals. According to various sources, three men all sighted the ice shelf or the continent within days or months of each other: Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen ,
4698-419: The northern half of the region, especially around Westport . Many of these continued in operation until the mid-20th century, and several survive. Timber has also long been a major industry, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of the region is public land administered by the Department of Conservation and the region has some of
4779-420: The ocean officially in June 2021. Prior to this, it depicted it in a typeface different from the other world oceans; instead, it shows the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans extending to Antarctica on both its print and online maps. Map publishers using the term Southern Ocean on their maps include Hema Maps and GeoNova. "Southern Ocean" is an obsolete name for the Pacific Ocean or South Pacific, coined by
4860-432: The other new sea names within the "Southern Ocean", such as the " Cosmonauts Sea ") and Merriam-Webster , scientists and nations – and even by some within the IHO. Some nations' hydrographic offices have defined their own boundaries; the United Kingdom used the 55th parallel south for example. Other organisations favour more northerly limits for the Southern Ocean. For example, Encyclopædia Britannica describes
4941-400: The region. Air New Zealand flies between Christchurch and Hokitika and Sounds Air between Wellington and Westport. Southern Ocean Main five oceans division: Further subdivision: The Southern Ocean , also known as the Antarctic Ocean , comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean , generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica . With
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#17327873209335022-423: The south of New Zealand. The United Kingdom's South Australia Act 1834 described the waters forming the southern limit of the new province of South Australia as "the Southern Ocean". The Colony of Victoria 's Legislative Council Act 1881 delimited part of the division of Bairnsdale as "along the New South Wales boundary to the Southern ocean". In the 1928 first edition of Limits of Oceans and Seas ,
5103-443: The south, a distance of 600 km. It has an area of 23,246 km . To the west is the Tasman Sea (which like the Southern Ocean can be very rough, with four-metre swells common), and to the east are the Southern Alps . Much of the land is rugged, with a coastal plain where much of the population resides. It is divided into the three local government districts of (from north to south) Buller , Grey and Westland . The land
5184-402: The southern limits of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) finally settled the debate after the full importance of Southern Ocean overturning circulation had been ascertained, and the term Southern Ocean now defines the body of water which lies south of the northern limit of that circulation. The Southern Ocean overturning circulation
5265-422: The southward of America and Africa"; John Payne in 1796 used 40 degrees as the northern limit; the 1827 Edinburgh Gazetteer used 50 degrees. The Family Magazine in 1835 divided the "Great Southern Ocean" into the "Southern Ocean" and the "Antarctick [ sic ] Ocean" along the Antarctic Circle, with the northern limit of the Southern Ocean being lines joining Cape Horn, the Cape of Good Hope, Van Diemen's Land and
5346-410: The stone across New Zealand , making Te Tai Poutini one of the wealthiest regions in the country. After the arrival of Europeans, the region became famed for its vast and mostly untapped gold reserves, which historically had not been highly valued. The region was subsequently settled by thousands of Irish Catholics after the Irish Famine , who constitute the majority of the population, alongside
5427-422: The strongest growing regional economies of New Zealand in 2022, though from a rather small base. Industries include mining for coal and alluvial gold , forestry and wood processing, fishing (including whitebaiting ), tourism and farming. Dairy farming has grown strongly – the local dairy co-operative Westland Milk Products remained independent when most others merged to form Fonterra in 2001. In
5508-468: The tropical islands of the Pacific. In November 1773, Cook left New Zealand, having parted company with the Adventure , and reached 60° S by 177° W , whence he sailed eastward keeping as far south as the floating ice allowed. The Antarctic Circle was crossed on 20 December and Cook remained south of it for three days, compelled after reaching 67° 31′ S to stand north again in 135° W . A long detour to 47° 50′ S served to show that there
5589-453: The two ships reached latitude 74°15' S and longitude 34°16'45″ W the southernmost position any ship had ever reached up to that time. A few icebergs were sighted but there was still no sight of land, leading Weddell to theorize that the sea continued as far as the South Pole. Another two days' sailing would have brought him to Coat's Land (to the east of the Weddell Sea ) but Weddell decided to turn back. The first land south of
5670-449: The westward in latitude 58° S , and then 30° eastward for the most part south of 60° S , a lower southern latitude than had ever been voluntarily entered before by any vessel. On 17 January 1773 the Antarctic Circle was crossed for the first time in history and the two ships reached 67° 15' S by 39° 35' E , where their course was stopped by ice. Cook then turned northward to look for French Southern and Antarctic Lands , of
5751-415: The whole of the West Coast, including Grey District , Buller District and Fiordland , and can also refer to the short-lived Westland Province of 1873–76. Fiordland is on the west coast, but is in the Southland Region rather than the West Coast Region. Inhabitants of the West Coast are colloquially known as "Coasters". The region reaches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in
5832-563: Was 48.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 5,448 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 4,518 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15,861 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,563 (22.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.7% European ( Pākehā ); 13.5% Māori ; 1.6% Pasifika ; 4.0% Asian ; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
5913-451: Was changed. A reservation had also been lodged by Australia regarding the Southern Ocean limits. Effectively, the third edition—which did not delineate the Southern Ocean leaving delineation to local hydrographic offices—has yet to be superseded. Despite this, the fourth edition definition has partial de facto usage by many nations, scientists, and organisations such as the U.S. (the CIA World Factbook uses "Southern Ocean", but none of
5994-466: Was circulated to IHO member states in August 2002 (sometimes referred to as the "2000 edition" as it summarized the progress to 2000). It has yet to be published due to 'areas of concern' by several countries relating to various naming issues around the world – primarily the Sea of Japan naming dispute – and there have been various changes, 60 seas were given new names, and even the name of the publication
6075-586: Was later named the Ross Ice Shelf . Mount Erebus and Mount Terror are named after two ships from his expedition: HMS Erebus and HMS Terror . The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914, led by Ernest Shackleton , set out to cross the continent via the pole, but their ship, Endurance , was trapped and crushed by pack ice before they even landed. The expedition members survived after an epic journey on sledges over pack ice to Elephant Island . Then Shackleton and five others crossed
6156-418: Was no land connection between New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego . Turning south again, Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle for the third time at 109° 30′ W before his progress was once again blocked by ice four days later at 71° 10′ S by 106° 54′ W . This point, reached on 30 January 1774, was the farthest south attained in the 18th century. With a great detour to the east, almost to the coast of South America,
6237-489: Was separated by sea from any continuous southern continent. The visit to South Georgia by Anthony de la Roché in 1675 was the first-ever discovery of land south of the Antarctic Convergence , i.e. in the Southern Ocean/Antarctic. Soon after the voyage cartographers started to depict " Roché Island ", honouring the discoverer. James Cook was aware of la Roché's discovery when surveying and mapping
6318-556: Was spoken by 98.0%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 0.2% and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 29.8% Christian , 0.6% Hindu , 0.2% Islam , 0.3% Māori religious beliefs , 0.4% Buddhist , 0.7% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.8%, and 9.0% of people did not answer
6399-487: Was that 12,819 (45.9%) people were employed full-time, 4,101 (14.7%) were part-time, and 687 (2.5%) were unemployed. There are only four towns with a population over 1,000: Greymouth , Westport , Hokitika and Runanga . These four towns, plus Reefton (population 980), are recognised as urban areas by Statistics New Zealand. During the gold rush days, Hokitika had a population of more than 25,000 with more than 100 pubs . A recreation of an early New Zealand settlement
6480-491: Was the largest town on the West Coast but quickly almost vanished as miners moved on. After that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist had become established. Following greenstone and gold, the next valuable mineral was coal. Discovered near the Buller River in the mid-1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. By the 1880s coal had become the region's main industry, with mines throughout
6561-523: Was then known, and reported the discovery "of an Antarctic continent west of the Balleny Islands " on 25 January 1840. That part of Antarctica was later named " Wilkes Land ", a name it maintains to this day. Explorer James Clark Ross passed through what is now known as the Ross Sea and discovered Ross Island (both of which were named for him) in 1841. He sailed along a huge wall of ice that
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