Te Ika-a-Māui

North Island
Te Ika-a-Māui
Geography
Satellite image of the North Island
North Island Te Ika-a-Māui
Location	Oceania
Coordinates	38°24′S 175°43′E / 38.400°S 175.717°E / -38.400; 175.717
Archipelago	New Zealand
Area	113,729 km² (43,911 sq mi)
Area rank	14th
Highest elevation	2,797 m (9,177 ft)
Highest point	Mount Ruapehu
Administration
New Zealand
ISO 3166-2:NZ	NZ-N
Regions	9
Territorial authorities	43
Largest settlement	Auckland (pop. 1,495,000)
Demographics
Population	3,596,200 (June 2016)
Pop. density	31.6 /km² (81.8 /sq mi)


	Urban area	Region	Population (June 2016)		Urban area	Region	Population (June 2016)
1	Auckland	Auckland	7006149500000000000♠1,495,000	11	Wanganui	Manawatu-Wanganui	7004396000000000000♠39,600
2	Wellington	Wellington	7005405000000000000♠405,000	13	Gisborne	Gisborne	7004361000000000000♠36,100
3	Hamilton	Waikato	7005230000000000000♠230,000	13	Pukekohe	Auckland	7004298000000000000♠29,800
4	Tauranga	Bay of Plenty	7005134400000000000♠134,400	14	Taupo	Waikato	7004241000000000000♠24,100
5	Napier-Hastings	Hawke's Bay	7005131000000000000♠131,000	15	Masterton	Wellington	7004212000000000000♠21,200
6	Palmerston North	Manawatu-Wanganui	7004843000000000000♠84,300	16	Levin	Manawatu-Wanganui	7004206000000000000♠20,600
7	Rotorua	Bay of Plenty	7004578000000000000♠57,800	17	Whakatāne	Bay of Plenty	7004196000000000000♠19,600
8	New Plymouth	Taranaki	7004568000000000000♠56,800	18	Feilding	Manawatu-Wanganui	7004162500000000000♠16,250
9	Whangarei	Northland	7004564000000000000♠56,400	19	Tokoroa	Waikato	7004137000000000000♠13,700
10	Kapiti	Wellington	7004418000000000000♠41,800	20	Hawera	Taranaki	7004118000000000000♠11,800

The North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui (Māori) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the slightly larger but much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island's area is 113,729 square kilometres (43,911 sq mi), making it the world's 14th-largest island. It has a population of 3,596,200 (June 2016).

Twelve main urban areas (half of them officially cities) are in the North Island. From north to south, they are Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier, Hastings, Whanganui, Palmerston North, and Wellington, the capital, located at the south-west extremity of the island. About 77% of New Zealand's population lives in the North Island.

Although the island has been known as the North Island for many years, in 2009 the New Zealand Geographic Board found that, along with the South Island, the North Island had no official name. After a public consultation, the board officially named the island North Island or Te Ika-a-Maui in October 2013.

In prose, the two main islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and the South Island, with the definite articles. It is normal to use the preposition in rather than on, for example "Hamilton is in the North Island", "my mother lives in the North Island". Maps, headings, tables and adjectival expressions use North Island without the.

According to Māori mythology, the North and South Islands of New Zealand arose through the actions of the demigod Māui. Māui and his brothers were fishing from their canoe (the South Island) when he caught a great fish and pulled it from the sea. While he was not looking his brothers fought over the fish and chopped it up. This great fish became the North Island and thus a Māori name for the North Island is Te Ika-a-Māui (The Fish of Māui). The mountains and valleys are believed to have been formed as a result of Māui's brothers' hacking at the fish. Until the early 20th Century, an alternative Māori name for the North Island was Aotearoa. In present usage, Aotearoa is a collective name for New Zealand as a whole.

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Wikipedia