Продолжение раздела «Cultural Reader», информационные материалы о Новой Зеландии.
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New Zealand’s Main Cities

People (85 per cent) of New Zealand live in the cities and towns. Early in the twentieth century the four cities Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin shared leadership.

The largest city of New Zealand is Auckland. It is a modern city and the industrial and commercial port ofthe country. More than one million people live there. Twenty per cent of the population is Maori and Polynesian. The city was established in 1840 as the capital ofthe British colonial government. It was officially made a city in 1871. The city has an art gallery, zoological gardens, the Auckland War Memorial Museum with its outstanding Maori collection, and the University of Auckland, which was founded in 1882. There are forest, farms, beaches, thermal pools and geysers near Auckland. Auckland remained the capital until it was replaced by Wellington.

Wellington is the second largest city and a main port. It is situated on the southern coast of North Island. The population of the city is about 200,000 people. It is the seat ofthe government and a large administrative centre. It is a transport link between the islands. It was settled by the group of British immigrants in 1840. They called it Nicholson after the captain of their ship. Wellington is the third capital of New Zealand: the first capital was Russel, then — Auckland, and in 1865 Wellington became the capital of the country. The most striking features of the city are its winds and constant danger of earthquakes. Its nickname is ’the windy city’, because it is situated on the crossroads of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. Several high office buildings were specially constructed to withstand earthquake shocks. In general Wellington is a city of two- and three-storeyed houses.

It is a commercial and cultural centre of the country. The Victoria University of Wellington and Wellington Teachers Training College are located in the city. The Alexander Turnbull Library is famous for its collection of New Zealand materials. Wellington is the home of the New Zealand Orchestra. There is the National Art Gallery in the city.

Christchurch is the largest city of South Island. It is the main commercial and industrial city of the island. It is a marketing centre for the agricultural products. There are industrial plants and factories for the production of machinery, rubber tyres, electric goods and shoes. The population of the city is 300,000 people.

The heart of the city is Cathedral Square, where one can see the Anglican Cathedral. There is the University of Canterbury, Canterbury Museum, McDougall Art Gallery, botanical gardens and the fields of Hagley Park in the city.

Dunedin is located on South Island. It is the second largest city of South Island. The city was founded in 1848 by Scottish Presbyterians as a Scottish free church settlement. It was called Dunedin for the Gaelic word for Edinburgh and still conveys Scottish values. It is often called ’Edinburgh of the South’. Its population is 116,524 people. This region is rich in gold, timber and farming potential.