| Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana | |
|---|---|
 Snow highlights the mountain range in this satellite image | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Aoraki / Mount Cook |
| Elevation | 3,724 m (12,218 ft) |
| Coordinates | 43°35′44.69″S 170°8′27.75″E / 43.5957472°S 170.1410417°E |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | South Island, New Zealand |
| Range coordinates | 43°30′S 170°30′E / 43.500°S 170.500°E |
The Southern Alps (Māori: Kā Tiritiri o te Moana; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana)[1] are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern Alps" generally refers to the entire range, although separate names are given to many of the smaller ranges that form part of it.
The range includes the South Island's Main Divide, which separates the water catchments of the more heavily populated eastern side of the island from those on the west coast.[2] Politically, the Main Divide forms the boundary between the Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago regions to the southeast and the Tasman and West Coast regions to the northwest.
- ^ "Place name detail: Southern Alps". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Beck, Alan Copland (2009) [1966]. "Topography". In McLintock, A.H. (ed.). Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.