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The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side. The term "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.〔Beck, Alan Copland. (Topography ), from ''An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'', edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 22-Apr-2009.〕 Politically, the Main Divide forms the boundary between the Canterbury and West Coast Regions. ==Location and description== The Southern Alps run 500 km〔http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/mountains/page-1〕 north to south and are called Kā Tiritiri o te Moana in Māori.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.greatwalks.co.nz/routeburn-track )〕 The tallest peak is Aoraki / Mount Cook, the highest point in New Zealand at and there are sixteen other points in the range that exceed in height. The mountains are cut through with glacial valleys and lakes. According to an inventory conducted in the late 1970s, the Southern Alps contained over 3,000 glaciers larger than a hectare, the longest of which – the Tasman Glacier – is 29 kilometres in length down towards Lake Pukaki. A chain of glacial lakes are found on the eastern side of the ridge from Lake Coleridge in the north to Lake Wakatipu in Otago in the south. Settlements include Maruia Springs, a spa near Lewis Pass, the town of Arthur's Pass and some lakeside resorts. The Southern Alps were named by Captain Cook on 23 March 1770, who described their "prodigious height".〔 p. 384.〕 They had previously been noted by Abel Tasman in 1642, whose description of the South Island's west coast is often translated as "a land uplifted high".〔Orsman, H. and Moore, J. (eds) (1988) ''Heinemann Dictionary of New Zealand Quotations'', Heinemann, Page 629.〕 The climate is cold with snow and ice year-round at the highest points. Because of its orientation perpendicular to the prevailing westerly winds, the range creates excellent wave soaring conditions for glider pilots. The town of Omarama, in the lee of the mountains, has gained an international reputation for its gliding conditions. The prevailing westerlies also create a weather pattern known as the ''Nor'west arch'', in which moist air is pushed up over the mountains, forming an arch of cloud in an otherwise blue sky. This weather pattern is frequently visible in summer across Canterbury and North Otago. The 'Nor'wester' is a foehn wind similar to the Chinook of Canada, where mountain ranges in the path of prevailing moisture laden winds force air upwards, thus cooling the air and condensing the moisture to rain, producing hot dry winds in the descending air lee of the mountains. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Southern Alps」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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