High country (New Zealand)

High country (New Zealand)

High country is a New Zealand term for the elevated pastoral land of the internal South Island and - to a lesser extent - internal North Island of New Zealand. This terrain, which can be compared loosely with the outback of Australia, high veldt of South Africa and pampas of Argentina, lies in the rain shadow of the country's mountain ranges and tends to be extensively farmed land with a continental climate consisting of low rainfall, cold winters and hot summers. Livestock farmed in these regions include sheep and - increasingly - deer and alpaca, and a major ground-covering plant of the area is tussock.

Regions of New Zealand closely associated with the high country include Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island, and parts of the North Island Volcanic Plateau. Much of the land is at a high altitude (hence its name), with the majority of the high country being more than 600 metres (2000 feet) above sea level.

High country can also refer to a region north-east of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • New Zealand — New Zealander. /zee leuhnd/ a country in the S Pacific, SE of Australia, consisting of North Island, South Island, and adjacent small islands: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 3,587,275; 103,416 sq. mi. (267,845 sq. km). Cap.: Wellington …   Universalium

  • New Zealand Army — Ngāti Tumatauenga Active 1845 – present Country …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand passport — Uruwhenua Aotearoa The front cover of a contemporary New Zealand biometric passport …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand Special Air Service — Cap Badge of the New Zealand Special Air Service Active 7 July 1955 – present Country …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand electricity market — New Zealand s electricity market is regulated by the Electricity Industry Participation Code administered by the Electricity Authority (NZ). The Authority was established in November 2010 to replace the Electricity Commission (NZ) and its… …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand Air Training Corps — Crest Active 1941 present Country …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand Cadet Corps — Crest Active 1864 present Country …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands — New Zealand Sub Antarctic Islands * UNESCO World Heritage Site Map showing New Zealand s sub antarctic islands …   Wikipedia

  • Stratford High School (New Zealand) — Infobox NZ school name = Stratford High School badge = motto = Palma non sine pulvere No reward without effort type = State co educational secondary (Year 9 13) established = 1897 address = Swansea Road, Stratford, New Zealand principal = Warren… …   Wikipedia

  • New Zealand wine — Map showing major cities and approximate location of the main NZ wine growing areas New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending 1,600 kilometres (990 mi). They are …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”