Geography Lesson

New Zealand is unique in geography. With two large islands and several smaller ones, the country offers a lot of contrasts in land forms. There are mountains (the highest in the southern alps), mudpools, geysers, hotsprings, volcanoes, fertile plains, white sandy beaches, black sandy beaches (with high iron content from volcanic ash), glaciers and sunken mountains.

Forests of sub tropical trees are native to the north island. Plant life of New Zealand is very unique, with many of the plants being endemic. Streams run through the region, some of them are warm as a result of the geothermal conditions of the North Island.

New Zealand sits on two tectonic plates, the Australian and the Pacific. This has caused a number of interesting things in the country; high mountain ridges formed down the center of the two islands and formed high mountain peaks.

Find out more about the geography of New Zealand by reading the geography lesson (and read all the way to the bottom) then go to the Quiz Page and take the Quiz. Write your answers on a piece of paper and turn in to your teacher. At the bottom of the page, write the definition of endemic (so I know you looked it up).