Map of Canterbury
Canterbury is a first-level division of New Zealand. Its largest mapped city is Christchurch, with about 363,200 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Canterbury, and the tables list its 5 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 5
- Largest City
- Christchurch
- Country
- New Zealand
- Highest Point Mapped
- 3,754 m
Interactive Map of Canterbury
About Canterbury
The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Canterbury Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Canterbury in Depth
History
Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential Englishmen associated with the Church of England. An attempt was initially made to restrict residence in the province to members of the church but this was abandoned. The Charlotte Jane and the Randolph—the first two of the First Four Ships—arrived in the area on 16 December 1850, later celebrated as the province's Anniversary Day.
In 1852, the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, which amongst other things established provincial councils.
Geography
On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south. The boundary on the west coast was largely undefined before the West Coast became its own province.
In 1868 the West Coast was separated from the Province with the formation of the County of Westland on the West Coast with the boundary line defined as the crest of the Southern Alps. In 1873 the County formed its own Province, the short-lived Westland Province.
In the south the course of the Waitaki River was not known and disputes arose with the Province of Otago over pastoral leases in the inland high country.
In the 1860s South Canterbury made two bids to become separate province but this was rejected by the national government.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Canterbury Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Canterbury: Key Facts
| Established | 1853 |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q5033684 (CC0).
History of Canterbury: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Canterbury, from British Colonial Empire in 1842 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| British Colonial Empire | 1842–1957 CE |
| The British Empire | 1842–1957 CE |
| New Zealand | 1948–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Canterbury
Canterbury on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Canterbury
5 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christchurch | 363,200 | Canterbury | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Timaru | 27,200 | Canterbury | Populated place |
| 3 | Ashburton | 17,700 | Canterbury | Populated place |
| 4 | Kaiapoi | 10,200 | Canterbury | Populated place |
| 5 | Kaikoura | 2,172 | Canterbury | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Canterbury
2 mountains mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aoraki/Mount Cook | 3,754 m | 12,316 ft | Oceania |
| 2 | Tapuaenuku | 2,885 m | 9,465 ft | Oceania |
Largest Lakes in Canterbury
6 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Pukaki | 164 km² | Reservoir |
| 2 | Lake Tekapo | 86 km² | Lake |
| 3 | Lake Benmore | 60 km² | Reservoir |
| 4 | Lake Coleridge | 36 km² | Reservoir |
| 5 | Lake Rotoroa | 23 km² | Lake |
| 6 | Lake Rotoiti | 9 km² | Lake |
Ports in Canterbury
3 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timaru | 38.4 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 2 | Port Lyttelton | 34.7 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 3 | Akaroa | 31.1 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
Canterbury: Quick Answers
- Where is Canterbury?
- Canterbury is a first-level division of New Zealand, in Oceania. Its mapped cities centre on 43.5226° S, 172.3924° E.
- What is the largest city in Canterbury?
- Christchurch is the largest city mapped in Canterbury, with a metropolitan population of about 363,200.
- How many cities are in Canterbury?
- YearMaps maps 5 cities and towns in Canterbury, with a combined metropolitan population of about 420,472. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Canterbury?
- The highest summit mapped in Canterbury is Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3,754 m.
- What is the largest lake in Canterbury?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Canterbury is Lake Pukaki, at about 164 km².