英美国家概况 New Zealand~.pptVIP

Chapter 33 New Zealand Where is New Zealand? New Zealand The size of the country is similar to Britain or Japan. It has 2 main islands: North island and South island. A third small island is Stewart island. The capital is Wellington, and the biggest city is Auckland, both on the North island. New Zealand is just west of the International Date Line (国际日期变更线), so it is the first country to get the new day. It has only one time zone. Location Geographical Features 1. general features: Mountains all over the country 多山 Volcanic mountains 火山 Geysers 间歇性喷泉 A fault line (地壳断裂线): earthquakes Volcano and earthquake are the two most serious natural disasters in N.Z. Geographical Facts South Island 1. Mt. Cook is the highest peak; centre of the mountain range the Southern Alps. 2. Glaciers 冰河 in the southwest 3. the largest river in South Island is the Clutha which runs eastward to the Pacific. North Island 1. 3 volcanic mountains: Ruapehu, Ngaurohoe, Tongariro (dormant) 2. the centre of North Island is a volcanic and geothermal area (火山和地热区): geyser; smell of sulphur (硫磺); geothermal power station. 3. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in N.Z. 4. Two largest rivers in North Island are the Waikato and the Wanganui. Climate 1. generally temperate 2. varied from north to south 3. the far north is subtropical and in some mountainous areas of South Island it is almost subarctic. 4. less extreme seasonal variations 5. much rainfall, esp. in winter 6. often windy 7. the sunniest town is Nelson Plants and Animals: unique and oldest plant forms Native plants and animals 1. Evergreens like kauri and totara 2. The red pohutukawa: N. Z.’s Christmas tree 3. The kiwi (几维鸟): national bird and symbol of New Zealanders 4. The only native land mammals are two species of bats. 5. Tuatara (lizard-like; 新西兰大蜥蜴) are described as a “living fossil”. Imported plants and animals: Some causes environmental problems: opossums (负鼠) and deer, gorse (荆豆), thistles （蓟）and broom （金雀花） Some has adapted well