Southern Alps

Southern Alps
a mountain range in New Zealand, on South Island. Highest peak, Mt. Cook, 12,349 ft. (3765 m).

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Mountain range, South Island, New Zealand.

It extends almost the entire length of the island, and it is the highest range in Australasia. It has elevations from 3,000 ft (900 m) to over 10,000 ft (3,050 m), culminating in Mount Cook at 12,349 ft (3,764 m) high. Glaciers descend from the permanently snow-clad top of the range. The range divides the island climatically: the forested western slopes and narrow coastal plain are much wetter than the eastern slopes and wide Canterbury Plains.

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▪ mountains, New Zealand
 mountain range on South Island, New Zealand. It is the highest range in Australasia. Making up the loftiest portion of the mountains that extend the length of the island, the Alps extend from Haast Pass, at the head of Wanaka Lake, northeastward to Arthur's Pass. They vary in elevation from 3,000 feet (900 metres) to 16 peaks above 10,000 feet (3,050 metres) and culminate in Mount Cook (Cook, Mount) (12,316 feet [3,754 metres]). Glaciers descend from the permanently snow-clad top of the range, and major rivers, including the Rakaia (Rakaia River), Rangitata (Rangitata River), and Waitaki (Waitaki River), drain eastward across the Canterbury Plains. The Alps divide the island climatically, the forested western slopes and narrow coastal plain of Westland being much wetter than the eastern slopes and the wide Canterbury Plains. The Southern Alps have great hydroelectric potential, and, since the 1930s, power stations have been built on the Waitaki River and its tributaries and at Lake Coleridge. The Alps are crossed by a rail line passing through the Otira Tunnel (5.3 miles [8.6 km] long) at Arthur's Pass. Sighted by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman (Tasman, Abel Janszoon) in 1642, the Alps' first European traversal (1857) was accomplished by Leonard Harper, first president of the New Zealand Alpine Club.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Southern Alps — the Southern Alps mountain ranges on the South Island of New Zealand. Their highest point is Mount Cook, which is the highest point in New Zealand …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Southern Alps — mountain range on South Island, New Zealand: highest peak, Mt. Cook …   English World dictionary

  • Southern Alps — For other uses, see Southern Alps (disambiguation). Snow highlights the Southern Alps in this satellite image of the South Island, New Zealand. The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand s South Island …   Wikipedia

  • Southern Alps — p1 Neuseeländische Alpen Die Südlichen Alpen sind hier mit Schnee bedeckt Höchster Gipfel Aoraki / Mount Cook (3.754 m) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Southern Alps (disambiguation) — Southern Alps may refer to: * Southern Alps (geology), a geological subdivision of the European Alps *, also known as the Akaishi Mountains, in Japan * Southern Alps, a mountain range on the South Island of New Zealand …   Wikipedia

  • Southern Alps (geology) — The Southern Alps are a geological subdivision of the European Alps. The Southern Alps are the part of the Alps that are found south of the Periadriatic Seam, a major geological faultzone across the Alps. The Southern Alps contain almost the same …   Wikipedia

  • Southern Alps — South′ern Alps′ n. pl. geg a mountain range in New Zealand, on South Island. Highest peak, Mt. Cook, 12,349 ft. (3765 m) …   From formal English to slang

  • Southern Alps — /sʌðən ˈælps/ (say sudhuhn alps) plural noun a mountain range in NZ, on the South Island. Highest peak, Mt Cook, 3764 m …  

  • Southern Alps — geographical name mountain range New Zealand in W South Island extending almost the length of the island see cook (Mount) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Southern Alps — a mountain range in New Zealand, on South Island. Highest peak, Mt. Cook, 12,349 ft. (3765 m) …   Useful english dictionary

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