Nicoll Ward
Auckland, New Zealand
June 16, 2015

New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere, with a location of 37 degrees south longitude to 48 degrees south longitude and 167 degrees east latitude to 177 degrees east latitude. It is composed of two major islands named the North and South Islands, and the total land area of the nation, approximately divided equally between the two islands, is 103,470 square miles. Auckland’s latitude and longitude is 36 degrees south and 52 degrees south and 74 degrees east and 46 degree east with an Altitude of 85 feet. Auckland is in the North Island of New Zealand, which is the largest populated urban area in the country. Auckland has a population of 1,418,000 which makes up 32% of the country’s population. Surprisingly, only 2 percent of the land area is arable. New Zealand has an abundance of natural resources, explaining why the country is so wealthy compared to other nations. These resources include fertile grazing land, oil and gas, iron, coal, timber, and excellent fishing waters. (Auckland New Zealand, 2013)

Auckland, New Zealand's climate is basically moderate year round because of the nearby ocean that regulates the climate. New Zealand enjoys a marine west coast climate that on average produces sixty to eighty degree temperatures in January and forty to sixty degree temperatures in July. Because it is surrounded by the ocean, New Zealand receives immense quantities of precipitation on both islands. The average annual precipitation on the North Island which is where Auckland is located is thirty to forty inches and on the South Island it is forty to fifty inches. This climate produces mixed forests, mid-latitude deciduous forests, and temperate grassland vegetation. The terrain is dominated by meadows, pastures, wood lands, and a small chain of mountains called the Southern Alps. The land is blanketed with small lakes and rivers that drain