Southern Alps

Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana
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.

[Linz-1] "Place name detail: Southern Alps". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 21 December 2020.

[2] 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.

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