The South Island, also officially named Te Waipounamu, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island.
The island is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki/Mount Cook, at 3,724 meters high. There are 18 peaks of more than 3,000 meters in the South Island. The east side of the island has the famous Canterbury Plains while the west side is famous for the West Coast's rainforests.
The South Island is known for its stunning scenery including mountains, lakes, and coastlines. It is also a hub for outdoor adventure tourism, with activities like hiking, fishing, hunting, kayaking, skiing, and bungee jumping attracting many visitors every year.
The South Island also includes multiple major urban areas: Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island; Dunedin, the second-largest city; and Nelson, Invercargill and Queenstown among others. Despite this, the South Island as a whole is far less populous than the North Island, being home to around a quarter of New Zealand’s population.
