Hello, we are Laura Viaña and Elisa Rosino and we are going to show you the geography and biodiversity in New Zealand.
1. INTRODUCTION:
The geography of New Zealand is characterized mainly by the beauty of its landscapes, among which are the vast plains, glaciers, coastlines with beaches, mountains, volcanic plateaus and immense hills.
This country is also characterized by being narrow and long, and being made up of two islands which are separated by the Cook Strait.
New Zealand is located in the South-Western Pacific Ocean situated around 2.000km south-east from the Australian mainland. In addition, this country is the sixth largest island country in the Word, with 268,710 km.
2. BIODIVERSITY
2.1 TREES AND VEGETATION
The large amount of rain that falls in New Zealand and many hours of sunshine mean that the country has a special and diverse flora. Most of the biodiversity is native, the most common are the evergreen forests.
There is a great variety of vegetation for example native shrubs and various types of ferns, mosses and lichens.
A curious fact is that on the North Island there is a very common tree, the pohutukawa, whose leaves turn a deep red in December and this tree is called “the New Zealand Christmas tree”.
2.2 ANIMALS
A) Birds
In New Zealand lives a great variety of birds, many of them native. With the passage of time they became non-flying species because the wings were less necessary for their day to day, as in the case of the kakapo parrot and the kiwi.
Kiwis are undoubtedly one of the most famous birds in this country. Their striking feathers, their strong legs and the absence of a tail make them unique and thanks to their age they became the national icon of New Zealand.
Unfortunately, when New Zealand was colonized, many birds were hunted and predators were brought in, causing the extinction of many birds, including the moa and huia.
B) Sea Animals
New Zealand has an abundant and diverse marine life, we can see seals, penguins and a large number of fish and crustaceans.
On the other hand, the water around New Zealand is the only place where we can found the small white-headed dolphin which is considered the rarest in the world.
In addition, one of the most common and recommended tourist activities in this country is swimming with dolphins.
However, recently New Zealand bans tourists from swimming with bottlenose dolphins, a specific specie of dolphin, because the number of these marine mammals has decreased by two thirds in the last three decades. A research has shown that human interaction had a significant impact on the resting and feeding behavior of the population.
Although, for the moment, it will continue to be allowed in other parts of the country with other species of dolphins.
3. WEATHER
We are going to talk about the weather, focusing on the characteristics of each season:
SPRING
Spring lasts from September to November, its temperature is usually from 16 to 19 so the temperatures are not bad but they are not constant either, for example a sunny day can become cold and cloudy suddenly and very quickly.
SUMMER
Summer in New Zealand is from December to February, the opposite of here, this is due to the tilt of the earth's axis and that we are in different hemispheres.
The days are longer, they have very good temperatures, many hours of sunshine, free of humidity and rain is not very common in most places.
AUTUMN
The long sunny days tend to continue and you will hardly notice that summer is officially over. It lasts from March to May with a warm and sunny climate but very cold nights especially during April.
WINTER
Lasts from June to August, its temperature is usually around 10 to 16 but varies depending on the area.
The climate is ideal for snow lovers who usually take advantage of the ski slopes.
4. RELIEF
New Zealand's landscape is notable for its variety and especially for its mountainous nature. The spectacular Southern Alps of the South Island have their permanently snowy habits and contain numerous glaciers. There are more than 19 mountain peaks that exceed 3,000 meters in height.
Something that makes it unique is that in the center of the island there is a chain of active volcanoes located between hot springs.
The two islands contain fertile grazing plains, forests, beaches, and short rivers.
There are numerous lakes on the two islands, the longest in the north island which are located on the central volcanic plateau but on the South Island they are glacial origin and are surrounded by mountains
Submerged mountains are also a feature of New Zealand's geography, these are mountain ranges that have submerged into the sea creating straits, such as the straits of Fiordland and Marlborough Sounds.