New Zealand's population is also coastal (see Figure 10.22). The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of New Zealand in Figure 10.23 shows South Island is dominated by the Southern Alps, which explains why it has such a low population density. The Southern Alps are along the convergent boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates.
Figure 10.23 New Zealand's Elevation
Source: Jide~commonswiki, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DEM_NewZealand.png
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