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West Coast, New Zealand

West Coast, New Zealand

The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island.

"The Coast"

To most New Zealanders, the west coast of the South Island seems a land apart from the rest of the country. It is an isolated and remote region, albeit one of outstanding beauty, and its inhabitants have an identity which is very much their own. For this reason, it is simply known as "The Coast", and its inhabitants are called "Coasters", almost as though it is the only region in the country to have a coast. The isolation of the North Island's East Coast region similarly gives it the nickname of "The East Coast", again, as though there is no east coast to other parts of the islands.

Geography

The West Coast region reaches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in the south, a distance of 600 km. To the west is the Tasman Sea and to the east is the Southern Alps. Much of the land is rugged, although there are coastal plains around which much of the population resides. The land is very scenic, with wild coastlines, mountains, and a very high proportion of native bush, much of it native temperate rain forest. Scenic areas include the Haast Pass, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki and the Heaphy Track. The region has a very high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind pattern and the location of the Southern Alps. The region's area is 23,000 km². It is divided into the three districts of Buller, Grey and Westland.

History

The West Coast was home to Maori, who valued it for the taonga of greenstone (pounamu) which was found there in abundance. Westland was only occasionally visited by early Europeans until the discovery of gold near the Taramakau River in 1864 by two Maori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors on the West Coast, many of them around the Hokitika area, which, in 1866, became briefly the most populous settlement in New Zealand. A major goldrush took place between 1864 and 1867 creating numerous gold rush towns such as Okarito which became the one time largest town on the West Coast but then quickly almost vanished as miners moved on. After that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist on the coast had become established. Following pounamu and gold, the next mineral to make the West Coast valuable was coal. Discovered near the Buller River in the mid 1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. By the 1880s, coal had become the region’s main industry, with mines throughout the northern half of the region, especially around Westport. Many of these continued in operation until the mid 20th century, and several survive today. Timber has also long been a major industry in the region, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of the region is public land administered by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the region has some of the best remaining stands of native forest, along with a wealth of rare wildlife. Ecotourism is now one of the industries for the region, and this goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts.

People

The region is lightly populated, especially in the south, with the 2001 census recording 30,303 inhabitants, a decline of 2,211 (6.8%) since 1996. Major towns on the West Coast are Greymouth, Westport, and Hokitika. At one time, during the gold rush days, Hokitika had a population of more than 25,000 and boasted more than 100 pubs. A recreation of an early New Zealand settlement can be found at Shantytown. Industries on the West Coast include mining for coal and alluvial gold, forestry and wood processing, and also fishing (including whitebaiting), tourism and farming. Dairy farming has grown strongly - the local dairy co-operative Westland Milk Products remained independent when most others merged to form Fonterra in 2001. Other industries are the manufacturing and sales of greenstone jewellery, sphagnum moss gathering and stone-collection for garden landscaping. The West Coast is also famous for being the only New Zealand nesting place of the White Heron, which nests near the Okarito lagoon and can be visited from tours operating out of the small farming township of Whataroa.

References

- [http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/ West Coast Regional Council]

External links

- [http://www.west-coast.co.nz/140f.html Tourism-focused "West Coast Homepage" ] Category:West Coast, New Zealand category:Territorial Authorities of New Zealand

South Island

The South Island forms one of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the North Island. The Maori name for the South Island is Te Wai Pounamu which means "The Greenstone Water" (greenstone being jade). In the 19th century, some maps named the South Island as Middle Island (or New Ulster), and the name South Island (or New Leinster) was attributed to today's Stewart Island/Rakiura. It has an area of 151,215 square km (58,093 square miles), making it the world's 12th-largest island. Along its west coast runs the mountain chain of the Southern Alps; Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest point, 3,754 m (12,283.3') above sea level. The South Island is often called the Mainland (somewhat humorously) because it is larger than the North Island, and because it existed first according to the corresponding Māori legend. The North island, however, is more populous, being home to three million out of a total of four million Kiwis. Some North Islanders (especially Aucklanders) even refer to the South Island as though it were a single town, stating for example that some event occurred "down south" without being more specific about a particular town or city.

Historical provinces of the South Island:

- Nelson
- Otago
- Canterbury
- Marlborough
- Westland
- Southland

Cities and towns in the South Island

- Alexandra
- Ashburton
- Blenheim
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Invercargill
- Greymouth
- Hokitika
- Kaikoura
- Methven
- Nelson
- Oamaru
- Omarama
- Queenstown
- Te Anau
- Timaru
- Wanaka
- Westport

Geographic features

Westport
- Arthur's Pass
- Banks Peninsula
- Catlins
- Doubtful Sound
- Fox Glacier
- Farewell Spit
- Franz Josef Glacier
- Haast Pass
- Lake Manapouri
- Lake Wakatipu
- Lake Te Anau
- MacKenzie Basin
- Milford Sound Shibboleth warning: maps and non-New Zealanders say "South Island"; but genuine Kiwis say "the South Island", with a definite article. Maps, headings or tables, and adjectival expressions use "South Island"; whereas "the South Island" is used after a preposition or before or after a verb; eg "my mother lives in the South Island", "the North Island is smaller than the South Island", "I'm visiting the South Island". Note also the use "IN the South Island" rather than "ON the South Island".

Movie Film Spot

Several movies have been filmed (in large part) on this Island, including the Lord of the Rings and 2005's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

East Coast, New Zealand

Gisborne is the name of a unitary authority (in this case, a region and district) in New Zealand. It contains the city of the same name.

Gisborne Region

The region is located in the northeastern corner of the North Island and is also referred to as the East Cape or East Coast or Eastland region. It is a sparsely inhabited and isolated region, with small settlements mainly clinging to small bays along the eastern shore such as Tokomaru Bay and Tolaga Bay. Other than the city of Gisborne, the main settlement is the town of Ruatoria. The population fo the region is about 45,000, with two-thirds of those living in the city. No other settlement has a population of over 1000. Inland, the land is rough, predominantly forested, hill country. Te Urewera National Park is located in the west of the region, and the Kaingaroa Forest is located just to the west of that. A spine of rough ridges dominates the centre of the region, culminating in the impressive bulk of the 1620 metre Mount Hikurangi in the region's northeast. This mountain is the fifth highest mountain in the North Island. Regarded as sacred by the Maori, there is some justification to the claims that this is the first mountain to see the sun in summer (see note below under Gisborne City). The region's population has a higher than the national average proportion of Maori - over 50% is some areas - and still maintains strong ties to both Maori tradition and the iwi and marae structure. The predominant iwi in the region are Ngati Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tamanuhiri, Mahaki and Tuhoe.

Gisborne City

Tuhoe Tuhoe The city of Gisborne is located at the north end of Poverty Bay. The white cliff headland of Young Nick's Head at the other end of the bay is visible from the city. The cliffs can be seen in the left hand side of the stat photo associated with this site. This prominence was the first part of New Zealand sighted by the crew of Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour, and was named for the crew member who first saw it. A memorial to Cook stands on the foreshore, marking the point where he first stepped ashore in New Zealand on October 8, 1769. On the right hand side of the stat photo at the other end of the bay, known as Poverty Bay, is Kaiti Hill. This hill overlooks the town and magnificent views can be obtained by driving/walking to to the summit. 1769 The city maintains a rural charm and is a popular holiday spot. Local industries include agriculture, horticulture, farming and forestry. Wine production is also valuable to the local economy. It is sometimes known as the City of Rivers as the centre of town is the convergence of three different rivers. Gisborne City has four main high (secondary) schools: Gisborne Boys' High, Gisborne Girls' High, Lytton High and Campion College. The harbour was host to many ships in the past. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped from here. Now the harbour is the home of many smaller fishing boats as well as ships loading logs for export. Wine Gisborne boasts being the first city in the world to greet the sun each day. Technically, however, this is only true for part of the year. Both Suva, Fiji and Nuku'alofa, Tonga are closer to the International Date Line and therefore would seem more likely candidates for this title. Due to the earth's tilt on its axis, however, Gisborne does overtake their claim as the New Zealand summer grows longer. In the longest days of summer, it again loses the title to the hillier suburbs of Dunedin in the South Island. The city has the benefit of being very close to the white sand beaches of Waikanae and Midway. A short distance from the city is the surf beach of Wainui. Category:Bay of Plenty-East Coast category: Territorial Authorities of New Zealand category: Cities and towns in New Zealand

Awarua Point

Awarua Point is located on the southwestern coast of New Zealand's South Island, 40 kilometres north of Milford Sound, and 15 kilometres north of the mouth of the Hollyford River. Traditionally, Awarua Point is regarded as the end of Fiordland and the start of the West Coast region, although the boundary of Fiordland National Park is located 10 kilometres further south at the northern end of Martins Bay. category: Headlands of New Zealand category: West Coast, New Zealand

Southern Alps

The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. It forms a natural dividing range along the entire length of the South Island. 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. Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest point, 3754 metres (12,283 feet). There are 16 other points in the range that are over 3000 metres in height. A large proportion of the range is protected as part of various national parks, notably the Westland National Park, Mount Aspiring National Park, and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. The Southern Alps were named by Captain Cook in 1770, who described their 'prodigious height'. The had previously been noted by Abel Tasman in 1642, who described the South Island's west coast as 'a land uplifted high'. Geologically, the Southern Alps lie along a plate boundary, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The mountains that form the Alps continue to grow as a function of tectonic pressure, but are eroded at approximately the same rate. 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 föhn 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. Category:Mountain ranges of New Zealand Category:West Coast, New Zealand category:Canterbury, New Zealand ja:南アルプス山脈

Rain forest

, Australia. ]] A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. Tropical rainforests arise due to the Intertropical convergence zone, and temperate rainforests also exist. As well as prodigious rainfall, many rainforests are characterized by a high number of resident species and tremendous biodiversity. The largest tropical rainforests exist in the Amazon basin (the Amazon Rainforest), in the equatorial portions of Africa from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of Congo; in much of southeastern Asia from Myanmar to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea; and also eastern Queensland, Australia. Outside of the tropics, temperate rainforests can be found in British Columbia, southeastern Alaska, western Caucasus (Ajaria region of Georgia), as well as in parts of the Balkans. It has been estimated that rainforests provide up to 40% of the oxygen found in the atmosphere and that the vegetation acts as an important consumer of atmospheric carbon. As such, many scientists feel that the rainforests are of vital importance within the global climate system.

Characteristics

Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 2,000 mm (about 100 inches or 200 centimetres) and 1700 mm (about 67 inches). The soil can be poor because high rainfall tends to leach out soluble nutrients. Rain forests are home to two-thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. It has been estimated that many hundreds of millions of new species of plants, insects, and microorganisms are still undiscovered and as yet unnamed by science. Tropical rain forests are called the "jewel of the earth", the "Earth's lungs", and the "world's largest pharmacy" because of the large amount of natural medicines discovered there. Despite the growth of flora in a rainforest, the actual quality of the soil is quite poor. Oxisols, infertile, deeply weathered and severely leached, have developed on the ancient Gondwanan shields. Rapid bacterial decay prevents the accumulation of humus. The concentration of iron and aluminium oxides by the laterization process gives the oxisols a bright red color and sometimes produces minable deposits (e.g. bauxite). On younger substrates, especially of volcanic origin, tropical soils may be quite fertile. The undergrowth in a rainforest is restricted in many areas by the lack of sunlight at ground level. This makes it possible for people and other animals to walk through the forest. If the leaf canopy is destroyed or thinned for any reason, the ground beneath is soon colonised by a dense tangled growth of vines, shrubs and small trees called jungle.

Trees

bauxite] There are several common characteristics of tropical trees. Tropical species frequently possess one or more of the following attributes not commonly seen in trees of higher latitudes. Many species have broad, woody flanges (buttresses) at the base of the trunk. Originally believed to help support the tree, now it is believed that the buttresses channel stem flow and its dissolved nutrients to the roots. Large leaves are common among trees of the C layer. Young individuals of trees destined for the B and A layers may also have large leaves. When they reach the canopy new leaves will be smaller. The large leaf surface helps intercept light in the sun-dappled lower strata of the forest. Drip tips facilitate drainage of precipitation off the leaf to promote transpiration. They occur in the lower layers and among the saplings of species of the emergent layer (A layer). Trees are often well connected in the canopy layer especially by the growth of woody climbers or lianas. Plants with epiphytic adaptations, allowing them to grow on top of existing trees in the competition for sunlight. Other characteristics that distinguish tropical species of trees from those of temperate forests include: Exceptionally thin bark, often only 1-2 mm thick. Usually very smooth, although sometimes armed with spines or thorns. Cauliflory, the development of flowers (and hence fruits) directly from the trunk, rather than at the tips of branches. Large fleshy fruits attract birds, mammals, and even fish as dispersal agents.

The canopy

Away from river banks, swamps and clearings where dense undergrowth is found, the forest floor is relatively clear of vegetation, as little sunlight penetrates to ground level. The densest areas of biodiversity are found in the forest canopy, a more or less continuous cover of foliage formed by adjacent treetops. The canopy, by some estimates, is home to 40% of all plant species, suggesting that perhaps half of all life on Earth could be found there. A quarter of all insect species are believed to exist in the rainforest canopy. Scientists have long suspected the richness of the canopy as a habitat, but have only recently developed practical methods of exploring it. As long ago as 1917, US naturalist, William Beebe declared that "another continent of life remains to be discovered, not upon the Earth, but one to two hundred feet above it, extending over thousands of square miles". True exploration of this habitat only began in the 1980's, when scientists developed methods to reach the canopy, such as firing ropes into the trees using crossbows. Exploration of the canopy is still in its infancy, but other methods include the use of balloons and airships to float above the highest branches and the building of cranes and walkways planted on the forest floor.

The rainforest as a source of drugs

Tropical rain forests are called the 'world's largest pharmacy' because the large amount of natural medicines discovered there. Nearly half of the medicines that we use come from the rainforests. For example, rain forests are responsible for containing the "basic ingredients of birth control hormones, stimulants, and tranquilizing drugs" (Banks 36). Scientists believe that the cures for many more diseases will be discovered there in the future.

Degradation of the rainforests

Tropical and temperate rain forests have been subjected to heavy logging and agricultural clearance throughout the 20th century and the area covered by rainforests around the world is rapidly shrinking. It is estimated that the rainforest was reduced by about 58,000 km² annually in the 1990s. Rainforests used to cover 14% of the Earth's surface. This percentage is now down to 6% and it is estimated by some that the remaining natural rainforests could disappear within 40 years (mid-21st century). Biologists have estimated that large numbers of species are being driven to extinction, possibly more than 50,000 a year, due to the removal of habitat with destruction of the rain forests. Protection and regeneration of the rainforests is a key goal of many environmental charities and organisations, including [http://www.ecologyfund.com/ EcologyFund] and the Nature Conservancy.

Bibliography

- Richards, P. W. (1996). The tropical rainforest. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521421942
- Whitmore, T. C. (1998) An introduction to tropical rain forests. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198501471

External links

- [http://forests.org/ Forest Conservation Portal]
- [http://www.rainforestlive.org.uk/ Rainforest Live - Facts & Figures]
- [http://www.savetherainforest.org/index.htm Save The Rainforest]
- [http://nature.org/rainforests/explore/facts.html Rainforest facts and information] from The Nature Conservancy
- [http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/resources/forest-facts/ Rainforest Alliance]
- [http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/old_oz-teachernet/projects/virtual-field-trips/rainforests/topics.html Virtual Rainforest Trip]
- [http://www.cfact.org/site/print.asp?idarticle=214 CFACT.org (a free-market group that disputes some claims)]
- [http://www.pygmies.info/ Rainforest people - Pygmies] Culture of the African rainforest people, with photos of nature and animals
- [http://www.amazonteam.org/index.html Amazon Conservation Team] An organization working in partnership with indigenous people in conserving biodiversity, health, and culture in tropical America. Category:Terrestrial biomes ja:%E7%86%B1%E5%B8%AF%E9%9B%A8%E6%9E%97 zh-min-nan:Ú-lîm

Haast Pass

The Haast Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. It is named for Julius von Haast, a 19th century explorer who was also geologist for the Provincial government of Canterbury. It is one of the three passes which have a road (State Highway 6) from the east to the west over the Southern Alps. The other two are the Lewis Pass and Arthurs Pass. The road was converted from a rough track to a formed road in the early 1960s. The road finally received a complete tarmac surface by the early 1990s. The pass was used by Maori in pre-European times, but not on a regular basis. The Haast Pass rises to a height of 562 metres above sea level at the saddle between the valleys of the Haast and Makarora Rivers. As such, it is the lowest of the passes traversing the Southern Alps. The Haast Pass road is devoid of any settlements between Haast and Makarora. The road passes through predominantly unmodified beech forest. The pass itself is within the limits of Mount Aspiring National Park and forms part of the boundary between Otago and the West Coast.

Franz Josef Glacier

The Franz Josef is a glacier located in Westland National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier 20 km to the south it is a unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to just 200 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest. It was named after emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria by the German explorer, Julius von Haast in 1865. The river emerging from the glacier terminal is known as the Waiho. The glacier is currently 12 kilometres long and terminates 19 km from the Tasman Sea. The glacier exhibits a cyclic pattern of advance and retreat, driven by differences between the volume of meltwater at the foot of the glacier and volume of snowfall feeding the neve. Having retreated several kilometres between the 1940s and 1980s, the glacier entered an advancing phase in 1984 and at times has advanced at the phenomenal (by glacial standards) rate of 70 cm a day. The flow rate is about 10 times that of typical glaciers. Over the longer term, the glacier has retreated since the last ice age, and it is believed that it extended into the sea some 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. This cyclic behaviour is well illustrated by a postage stamp issued in 1946, depicting the view from St James Anglican Church. The church was built in 1931, with a panoramic altar window to take advantage of its location. By 1954, the glacier had disappeared from view from the church, but it reappeared in 1997. The Maori name for the glacier is Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere — the tears of Hinehukatere — arising from a legend: Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Tawe, to climb with her. An avalanche swept Tawe from the peaks to his death. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears froze to form the glacier. The area surrounding both glaciers is designated a World Heritage Site. World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site World Heritage Site Category:Glaciers of New Zealand Category:West Coast, New Zealand

Heaphy Track

Heaphy Track is a popular tramping track in the north west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 82 km long and is walked in three to seven days, usually four or five. It is classified as a "Great Walk" by the Department of Conservation. The track, located in the Kahurangi National Park, is named after Charles Heaphy.

History

Maori tribes are known to have settled along the lower course of the Heaphy River as early as in the 16th century. Proofs have been found that the area crossed by today's Heaphy Track had been explored in these ancient times by Maoris seeking greenstone (pounamu) in the Gouland Downs sector. The first visit of the area by persons whose names were recorded took place in 1846, when Charles Heaphy, Thomas Brunner and their Maori guide Kehu explored the coastal sector of the track. The first recorded crossing of the whole range approximately along today's path took place in 1859, by a European gold miner named Aldrige; another visit is recorded in 1860, by James MacKay and John Clark. In the following years of goldrush, the area was extensively visited for gold, and the track was definitely laid out by various prospectors and surveyors, among which JB Saxon in 1888. But there was no gold to be found in the sector. After thirty years prospection got to its end and the track was virtually forgotten after 1900, getting overgrown and seldom used by the casual hunter. The creation of the North-west Nelson Forest Park in 1965, that was to become Kahurangi National Park in 1996, led to the rediscovery and improvement of the track, which is now trekked by thousands of tourists every year.

Conservation debate

The Heaphy Track has seen major campaigns to save it from attempts to road the area. The famed coastal strip with its delightful nikau palm groves was particularly at risk with any road construction. Even with simple track construction at Crayfish Point the overall effect was to see major slips carry the groves into the sea. Up until the 1980s the threats to the track were real - the local population and councils largely supported roading in the belief that a "tourist circuit" of the South Island would increase the access and popularity of the area. The track proponents argued the damage could never be justified and that the popularity would come more in the form of people being drawn to the area for days rather than those who would drive through and use "comfort stops". In the event, the major campaigns saw track use and recognition spiral and then settle back to the current position where it forms an integral part of the great New Zealand walking experience. As the popularity increased more resources were thrown at track maintenance and facilities. Today, the track is well defined and serviced and capable of being walked by a wide age group. It is, without doubt, one of New Zealand's finest tracks but, as in all back country experiences it should never be approached in an unplanned fashion.

Landscape along the path

The Heaphy track is renowned for the variety of landscapes crossed : every 20 km section is significantly different from the previous one. Walking the path east to west, the hiker will begin his journey through a forest where beeches (Nothofagus) are dominant. Some zigzags will bring you to the highest point of the track, at 915 m, with good views to the surrounding mountains. From there on, tussocks are to replace forests, and you are soon to enter the Gouland Downs, a large featureless area drained by many rivers, with swingbridges helping to cross them when they are in spate. Now woody patches regain over tussock moors ; near Gouland Downs Hut, beeches covered by thick moss are reminiscent of the wettest forests of southern New Zealand. After several kilometers of alternating tussock downs and bush, MacKay Hut is reached, with broad views reaching to the Tasman Sea. There begins a long descent through the bush. This time podocarps are dominant, among which impressive large rimu trees. At the end of this descent, the Heaphy River valley is reached at Lewis Hut. You will follow the river course for 8 km of peaceful flat walk, crossing the Heaphy River and several affluents on long swingbridges, and discovering the nikau palm forest which is probably the most striking feature of the Heaphy Track. At last you reach the seashore at Heaphy Hut, at the mouth of the Heaphy River. The last section is an exhilarating coastal walk, alterning sandy immaculate beaches beaten by the waves and forest sections, where nikau palms dominate.

External link

[http://doc.govt.nz/Explore/002~Tracks-and-Walks/Great-Walks/Heaphy-Track.asp The Heaphy Track on Department of Conservation website] Category:West Coast, New Zealand Category:Hiking and tramping tracks in New Zealand category: Nelson, New Zealand

1 E10 m²

To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 10,000 km² and 100,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude.
- Areas smaller than 10,000 km²
- 10,000 km² is equal to:
- 3,863 square miles
- 1,000,000 hectares
- a circle of radius 56 km
- 10,106 km² -- Aurangabad District in Maharashtra, India
- 10,452 km² -- Lebanon (country ranked 160th by area)
- 10,604 km² -- Asturias, Spain
- 10,867 km² -- Gyeonggi, South Korea
- 10,887 km² -- Kosovo
- 10,991 km² -- Jamaica
- 11,000 km² -- Tianjin Municipality
- 11,027 km² -- Scania, Sweden
- 11,765 km² -- Jalgaon District in Maharashtra, India
- 11,858 km² -- South Jeolla, South Korea
- 11,859 km² -- South Gyeongsang, South Korea
- 12,150 km² -- Largest wildfire in US history
- 13,518 km² -- Death Valley National Park
- 13,561 km² -- Nagano Prefecture, Japan
- 13,582 km² -- Yavatmal District in Maharashtra, India
- 14,139 km² -- Northern Ireland
- 14,371 km² -- Connecticut
- 14,886 km² -- Solapur District in Maharashtra, India
- 15,007 km² -- East Timor
- 16,808 km² -- Beijing Municipality
- 16,894 km² -- Gangwon, South Korea
- 17,000 km² -- Hawaii
- 18,000 km² -- Drainage area of the Aar
- 18,000 km² -- Lake Ladoga
- 18,130 km² -- Qattara Depression
- 18,360 km² -- Maripasoula, the largest commune of France
- 19,009 km² -- Lake Ontario
- 19,440 km² -- North Gyeongsang, South Korea
- 20,000 km² -- Wales
- 20,253 km² -- Slovenia
- 20,770 km² -- Israel (excluding West Bank and Gaza Strip)
- 21,040 km² -- El Salvador
- 22,327 km² -- Manipur State in India
- 22,608 km² -- New Jersey
- 22,789 km² -- San Francisco Bay Area (nine counties)
- 24,000 km² -- Area of Palestine in the time of Solomon
- 24,856 km² -- Republic of Macedonia (land)
- 25,000 km² -- Vermont
- 25,333 km² -- Republic of Macedonia
- 25,665 km² -- Lake Erie
- 26,338 km² -- Rwanda
- 27,830 km² -- Burundi
- 28,748 km² -- Albania
- 29,800 km² -- Armenia
- 30,230 km² -- Belgium (land)
- 30,510 km² -- Belgium
- 31,560 km² -- territorial water of Finland
- 32,114 km² -- Catalonia
- 32,134 km² -- Vancouver Island
- 32,900 km² -- Lake Tanganyika
- 33,200 km² -- territorial water of Croatia
- 33,371 km² -- Moldova (land)
- 33,843 km² -- Moldova
- 33,889 km² -- Netherlands (land)
- 33,920 km² -- Hainan
- 34,000 km² -- Kingdom of Israel (928-722 B.C.)
- 35,980 km² -- Republic of China on Taiwan
- 38,863 km² -- Kerala State in India
- 39,000 km² -- Tli Cho land-claims agreement in the Northwest Territories
- 39,770 km² -- Switzerland (land)
- 41,290 km² -- Switzerland
- 41,532 km² -- Netherlands
- 42,394 km² -- Denmark (land)
- 43,094 km² -- Denmark
- 44,212 km² -- Haryana State, India
- 45,226 km² -- Estonia
- 49,035 km² -- Slovakia
- 51,129 km² -- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 53,338 km² -- Nova Scotia (land)
- 53,400 km² -- Wrangell - St Elias National Park and Preserve
- 55,284 km² -- Nova Scotia
- 56,542 km² -- Croatia
- 56,785 km² -- Togo
- 57,750 km² -- Lake Michigan
- 59,600 km² -- Lake Huron
- 64,589 km² -- Latvia
- 65,200 km² -- Lithuania
- 66,000 km² -- Ningxia
- 68,401 km² -- Tasmania (land)
- 68,870 km² -- Lake Victoria
- 69,700 km² -- Georgia (country)
- 70,282 km² -- Republic of Ireland
- 71,450 km² -- New Brunswick (land)
- 72,815 km² -- Veracruz (mainland)
- 72,873 km² -- Veracruz (total)
- 72,908 km² -- New Brunswick
- 78,782 km² -- Scotland
- 82,000 km² -- Lake Superior
- 82,300 km² -- Chongqing Municipality
- 82,738 km² -- Austria (land)
- 83,858 km² -- Austria
- 84,421 km² -- Island of Ireland
- 86,600 km² -- Azerbaijan
- 88,752 km² -- West Bengal
- 89,810 km² -- Croatia
- 90,000 km² -- Area of Mojos and Beni plains flooded by Madeira river
- 91,286 km² -- Serbia and Montenegro
- 91,951 km² -- Portugal (land)
- 92,340 km² -- Hungary (land)
- 92,391 km² -- Portugal
- 93,000 km² -- Indiana
- 93,030 km² -- Hungary
- 98,480 km² -- South Korea (country ranked 107th by area)
- Areas larger than 100,000 km² See also: Orders of magnitude

External link

[http://www.ex.ac.uk/trol/scol/ccarea.htm Conversion Calculator for Units of AREA] Category:Orders of magnitude (area) ko:1 E10 ㎡ ja:1 E10 m²

Buller (district), New Zealand

Tasman district is a region at the northern tip of New Zealand's largest island, the South Island.

Coverage

It includes the Nelson Lakes and some of the headwaters of the Buller River. The northern corner includes the prominent narrow peninsula Farewell Spit and Kahurangi National Park. The south and east are dominated by the undulating countryside around the Motueka and Wairoa Rivers. Abel Tasman National Park is also located in Tasman.

Name

Tasman Bay, the largest indentation in the north coast of the South Island of New Zealand, was named after Abel Tasman, the first reported European discoverer of New Zealand. It passed the name on to the adjoining district formed in 1989 largely from the merger of Waimea and Golden Bay counties.

Government and settlements

District council (unitary authority) headquarters are at Richmond, close to the adjoining Nelson City. Other towns are Brightwater, Collingwood, Motueka, Murchison, Riwaka, Saint Arnaud, Takaka, Tapawera, and Wakefield.

People

Famous former residents include nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford.

External links

- [http://www.tdc.govt.nz/ Tasman District Council]
- [http://www.zeal.com/category/preview.jhtml?cid=10109408 Several dozen categorised profiles of relevant websites] Category: Nelson, New Zealand Category:Territorial Authorities of New Zealand

Westland (district), New Zealand

The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island.

"The Coast"

Geography

History

People

References

- [http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/ West Coast Regional Council]

External links

- [http://www.west-coast.co.nz/140f.html Tourism-focused "West Coast Homepage" ] Category:West Coast, New Zealand category:Territorial Authorities of New Zealand

Maori

Māori is the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their language. It is also the name of the people and language of the Cook Islands, referred to as Cook Islands Māori. The word māori means "normal" or "ordinary" in the Māori language and denotes mortal beings as distinct from the gods. "Māori" has similarities in some other Polynesian languages such as Hawaiian in which the cognate word maoli means native, indigenous, real or actual. Māori often refer to themselves as tāngata whenua (literally "people of the land") to emphasise their indigenous status.

Māori arrival in New Zealand

It is not precisely known when Māori arrived. Polynesian voyagers are believed to have migrated to what is now New Zealand from eastern Polynesia in the latter part of the 1st millennium. As their descendants adjusted their practices and culture to their new environment, they became the Māori. New Zealand was one of the last Pacific island groups reached by humans. Archaeological evidence suggests there were probably several waves of migration to New Zealand between 800 and 1300. Māori oral history describes their arrival from a place called Hawaiki by large ocean–going canoes (waka). Migration accounts vary among Māori tribes or iwi, whose members can identify with the different waka in their genealogies or whakapapa. According to Sir Peter Buck there were 10 Māori tribes resulting from the Main Fleet but this is not supported by all tribes. Ngapuhi, one of the northern tribes, say their ancestors' journey from Hawaiki was aided by the gods, in that the sun did not set for three days. A possible reason for this claim is that their voyage coincided with the appearance in the sky of the Crab Nebula supernova which for several days was bright enough to be seen in daylight. Contemporary Chinese and Arab astronomers also recorded this event and dated it equivalent to July 1054. There is no credible evidence of human settlement in New Zealand prior to the Māori voyagers. A fringe element claims there was extensive pre–Māori settlement, especially Martin Doutré in his book Ancient Celtic New Zealand, but such claims are universally dismissed as unsubstantiated by mainstream historians and archaeologists.

Possible origins

Recent maternal mitochondrial DNA analysis suggests that Polynesians, including Māori, are genetically linked to indigenous peoples of parts of Southeast Asia including those of Taiwan and the Andaman Islands. Current theory suggests that peoples from these areas made their way into the Pacific over many centuries, passing through Melanesia and moving eastwards, colonizing previously-unsettled islands as far east as what is now French Polynesia, Hawai'i and Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Polynesian seafarers achieved Pacific settlement by making very long canoe voyages, in some cases against the prevailing winds and tides, and their navigation skills were very well developed. There are suggestions that Polynesian voyagers reached the South American mainland and made contact with indigenous South Americans. The sweet potato, known to Māori as "kumara" and introduced to New Zealand by them, is widely grown around the Pacific but originated in the Andes. There is no evidence that Pacific peoples actually settled on the South American mainland or that South American peoples voyaged into the Pacific.

European arrival

European colonisation of New Zealand occurred relatively recently, causing the late New Zealand historian Michael King to state in his book, The Penguin History Of New Zealand, that Māori were "the last major human community on earth untouched and unaffected by the wider world." The early European explorers, including Abel Tasman and James Cook, reported encounters with Māori. These early reports described the Māori as a fierce and proud warrior race. Inter-tribal warfare was a way of life, with the conquered being enslaved or in some cases eaten. From as early as the 1780s Māori had encounters with European sealers and whalers; some even crewed on their ships. There was also a continuous trickle of escaped convicts from Australia and deserters from visiting ships. By 1830 it was estimated that there were as many as 2,000 Pakeha living among the Māori, status varying from slaves through to high ranking advisors, from prisoners to those who abandoned European culture and identified themselves as Māori. Pakeha were valued for their ability to describe European skills and culture and their ability to obtain European items in trade, particularly weaponry. These Europeans were known as Pakeha Māori. When Pomare led a war party against Titore in 1838, among his warriors were 132 Pakeha mercenaries. Frederick Edward Maning, an early settler, wrote two colourful contemporaneous accounts of life at that time which have become classics of New Zealand literature: Old New Zealand and History of the War in the North of New Zealand against the Chief Heke. Governor George Grey learned the language and recorded much of the mythology.

Musket wars

During this period the acquisition of muskets by those tribes in close contact with European visitors destabilised the existing balance of power between Māori tribes, and there was a period of bloody inter-tribal warfare, known as the Musket Wars, during which several tribes were effectively exterminated and others were driven from their traditional territory. European diseases also killed a large but unknown number of Māori during this period. Estimates vary between ten and fifty percent.

Annexation

With increasing European missionary activity and settlement in the 1830s as well as perceived European lawlessness, the British Crown, as a predominant world power, came under pressure to intervene. Ultimately this led to William Hobson being dispatched with instructions to take possession of New Zealand. Before he arrived, Queen Victoria annexed new Zealand by royal proclamation in January 1840. On arrival in February, Hobson negotiated the Treaty of Waitangi with the surrounding northern chiefs. This treaty was subsequently signed by many other Māori chiefs, though by no means all. The treaty made the Māori British subjects in return for a guarantee of property rights and tribal autonomy.

Disputes and decline

In the 1860s, disputes over questionable land purchases and the attempts of Māori in the Waikato to establish a rival British-style system of royalty led to the New Zealand wars. Although these resulted in relatively few deaths, large tracts of tribal land were confiscated by the colonial government. Settlements such as Parihaka in Taranaki are remembered as sites of violent conflict that took place there during that period. With the loss of much of their land, Māori went into a period of decline, and in the late 19th century it was believed that the Māori population would cease to exist as a separate race and be assimilated into the European population.

Revival

The predicted decline did not occur, and population levels recovered. Despite a high degree of intermingling between the Māori and European populations (virtually all Māori are of mixed racial heritage today), Māori were able to retain their cultural identity and in the 1960s and 1970s, Māoridom underwent a cultural revival. No Māori live a traditional pre-European contact lifestyle today. Some commentators express frustration with the "theme-parkisation" of Māori identity with tourist-driven performances and gift shop "art". Others seek to develop a New Zealand identity that incorporates strands of Māori identity. Sympathetic governments and political activism have led to compensation for certain historic instances of unjust confiscation of land and the violation of other property rights. A special court, the Waitangi Tribunal, was established to investigate and make recommendations on such issues. As a result of the compensation paid, Māori now have significant interests in the fishing and forestry industries. Māori language ceased to be used as a living community language (by significant numbers of people) in the post-war years. Generous state funding is assisting with the revival attempt. Māori culture and language is taught in most New Zealand schools, and pre-school kohanga reo or language nests, teach tamariki or young children exclusively in Māori. Māori Television, a government-funded TV station committed to broadcasting primarily in te reo, began broadcasting on March 28, 2004. Māori language has the equivalent status to English in government and law. Māori politicians have seven designated Māori seats in the New Zealand parliament (and may stand in the General seats), and consideration and consultation with Māori are routine requirements for many New Zealand councils and government organisations. Despite significant social and economic advances during the 20th century, Māori still perform negatively in most health and education statistics, labour participation as well as being over-represented in criminal and corrections statistics. In 2001 a dispute arose between Danish toymaker LEGO and several Māori tribal groups fronted by lawyer Maui Solomon, and also several members of an online discussion forum Aotearoa Cafe, over the popular LEGO toy line Bionicle. The product line used many words that were an appropriation of Māori language, imagery and folklore. The dispute was settled amicably. Initially LEGO refused to withdraw the game, saying the names it used were drawn from many cultures, but later agreed that it had taken the names from Māori and agreed to change certain names or spellings to help set the toy line apart from the Māori legends. This, however, did not prevent the many Bionicle users from continuing to use the disputed words, resulting in the popular Bionicle website BZPower coming under a denial-of-service attack for four days by an attacker using the name Kotiate [http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,56451,00.html?tw=wn_story_related]. Several artistic collectives have been established by Māori tribal groups. These collectives have begun creating and exporting jewellery (such as bone carved hei matau pendants and greenstone jewellery) and other artistic items (such as wood carvings and textiles). Several actors who have recently appeared in high-profile movies filmed in New Zealand have come back wearing such jewellery, the most notable of which is Viggo Mortensen of The Lord of the Rings fame, who is now never without a Hei Matau hanging around his neck. These events have contributed towards a worldwide interest in traditional Māori culture and arts.

Culture

Maori were originally hunters, but later they became farmers and started the life in agriculture. The main tasks were separarted for men and women, but there were also a lot of group activities like food gathering & food cultivation, warfare. Art was and is one of the main parts of the culture like tatooing or carving of wood. Communal buildings were highly decorated with wood carvings and also the people wore highly decorative personnal ornaments and amulettes. The history was not recorded in written words. To kept the history they had long and very specific songs and chants, that’s why music and poetry was so important.

Religion

Tiki

The Lord of the Rings Maori believe in gods and personifications. The supreme god is Io, the god of the land. The religion is closely related to the nature and to the ancestors, similar to the indians. All things have a type of soul. The Maori believe all living things are descended from the Gods, embodied within certain mountains, rivers and lakes. Most things contain "mana" - spiritual essence. Mana is within man himself, land, nature, and also man-made objects. Tiki was the name given to the first man on earth in the Maori mythology. The term "Tiki" comes out of a Maori legend, when Tane the God of earth, man, birds created the first man. Tiki in Maori personifies the primeval man and it is a powerful good luck symbol. The tilted head symbolises thinking, the hand is strength, the mouth is communication, the heart is love and the loins are fertility.

Tapu

Tapu is the strongest force in Maori life. It can be interpreted as "sacred", as "spiritual restriction" or "implied prohibition" and has numerous meanings and references. Tapu contains a strong conditions of rules and prohibitions. There are two kinds of tabu, the private (concerned individuals) and the public tapu (concerned communities). A person, an object or a place, which is tapu, may not be touched by human contact. In some cases, not even approached. A person, object or a place could be made sacred by tapu for a certain time, and the two main types of tapu were private for individuals and public for communities. In earlier times, tribal members of a higher rank would not touch objects which belonged to members of a lower rank. This was considered "pollution" and persons of a lower rank could not touch the belongings of a highborn person. Death was the penalty. A breach of "tapu" was to commit a violation and it could incur the wrath of the Gods. In earlier times food cooked for a chief was tapu, and could not be eaten by an inferior. A chief's house was tapu, and even the chief could not eat food in the interior of his house. A woman could not enter a chief's house unless a special religious ceremony was performed (the karakia). Not only their houses were tapu, also their possessions, including their clothing. Burying grounds and places of death were always tapu, and these areas were often surrounded by a protective fence. Today, tapu observances are still in use concerning sickness, death, and burial.

Marae

karakia The marae is a local ceremonial centre, dedicated to the meetings of Maori people and there they practice the traditional rituals. It is a place where members share their beliefs and it is the place of the greatest spirituality. The marae symbolises group unity. It is the base of traditional Maori community life In the Marae official functions take place in, like: celebrations, weddings, christenings, tribal reunions, funerals. The older people have the authority and in the marae they give the traditiions to the young people like the legends, the songs or the way of weeving or carving. Locals and visitors have to respect certain rules.

Rituals

Hangi

The simple describtion of hangi is a traditional way of cooking food among people in Polynesia. The hangi consists of a shallow hole dug in the ground. A fire is prepared in the hole and stones are placed on the top of it. When the stones are hot the hangi is prepared for cooking by leaving the hot stones and some of the coals at the bottom of the hole. The food is placed on top of the stones, the meat first, with the vegetables, such as kumara and potatoes, on top of it. The hangi is then covered with leaves or mats woven out of flax and left to cook. Soil is usually heaped over the mat to keep the heat in.” Apart from this everyday use, hangi has it’s own spiritual place in the Maori rituals. For example hangi has its own place in a ritual for opening a new house, or at harvest time. For these rituals, kumara were cooked in the hangi because it is believed that cooked food has the power to disperse tapu. Through the process of cooking in the hangi the essence of the food ascends to the gods.

Haka

harvest Haka is a dance or a performance and there were quite a number of different types of haka performed, depending on the occasion. There were hakas of song and joy, and warlike hakas. There were two types of war haka - one is performed without weapons, usually to express public or private feelings, known as the "haka taparahi", and the war haka with weapons, the "peruperu". The "peruperu" was traditionally performed before going into a battle. It was to invoke the god of war and warned the enemy of the fate awaiting him. It involved fierce facial expressions and grimaces, poking out of the tongue, eye bulging, grunts and cries, and the waving of war weapons. If the haka was not performed in total unity, this could be taken as an bad omen for the battle. The warriors went very often naked into the battle, apart from a plaited flax belt around the waist. The aim of the battle was to kill all the members of the enemy war party, so that no survivors would remain with the risk revenge.

Ta Moko

enemy Initially tattooing came from Eastern Polynesian culture to New Zealand. The head was considered the most sacred part of the body. That’s why are the tattoos mainly facial. All high-ranking Maori were tattooed, and those who went without tattoos were seen as persons of no social status. In their culture they get the tattoos during the puberty, accompanied by many rites and rituals. One reason is to make a warrior attractive to women. It is a important event in a person's life. Tattoo instrument was a bone chisel or an extremely sharp edge. The first stage of the tattoo started with the graving of deep cuts into the skin. Next, the chisel was dipped into a sooty type pigment such as burnt Kauri gum or burnt vegetable caterpillars and then smeared into the skin. It was an extremely painful and long process, and often leaves from the native Karaka tree were placed over the swollen tattoo cuts to hasten the healing process. The women were not as extensively tattooed as the men. Their upper lips were outlined, usually in dark blue. The chin moko was always the most popular, and continues to be practiced.

External links

- [http://www.culture.co.nz/ culture.co.nz] — Important Māori websites on the net.
- [http://www.maori.org.nz/ maori.org.nz] — The largest Māori site on the net, covering a wide range of topics.
- [http://www.korero.maori.nz/ korero.maori.nz] Interactive Māori language resource site
- [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tino-rangatiratanga Māori Sovereignty Yahoogroup] — Active online discussion group; membership required
- [http://www.aocafe.com/ Aotearoa Cafe] — Discussion forum about Māori history, politics and art.
- [http://www.amio.maori.nz/ Aotearoa Māori Internet Organisation] — Online discussion board.
- [http://www.maorinews.com/karere/ Māori related news headlines] — From the Te Kareere Ipurangi news portal.
- [http://www.tamoko.org.nz Ta Moko] — Website about the famous 'Moko', unique Māori body art.
- [http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~dominic/intro.html Māori theology] — by the late Michael Shirres.
- [http://www.teara.govt.nz Te Ara Encylopedia of New Zealand] — Government-funded encyclopedia. Category:Indigenous peoples of Oceania Category:Indigenous peoples of Polynesia ja:マオリ

Taonga

Taonga is the Maori word for a treasured thing, whether tangible or intangible. Tangible examples are all sorts of heirlooms and artefacts, land and fisheries. Intangible examples include language, radio frequencies and riparian rights. The Maori names of many New Zealand museums contain the term Whare taonga - literally "treasure house". The word taonga has constitutional significance in New Zealand, as article two of the Treaty of Waitangi guaranteed that the Maori signatories would retain the possession and enjoyment of their taonga under British rule. This has created an incentive for such things as radio frequencies, which were unknown at the time of the treaty, to be classified as taonga so that they may be claimed under this provision of the treaty. category: Maori

Greenstone

:This article is about a form of green metamorphic rock. For other meanings, see Greenstone (disambiguation). Greenstone is a non layerd metamorphic rock derived from basalt, gabbro or similar rocks they contain sodium-rich plagioclase feldspar, chlorite, epidote and quartz. It is the chlorite and epidote that give the green colour[http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Places/volcanic_past_vermont.html]. It is also know as nephrite jade. Greenstone rocks are generally found in rivers. They appear as nondescript boulders and stones and are difficult to identify without cutting them open. In some areas the mining of greenstone is closely controlled. Greenstone is a very hard stone and must be worked with care and patience. Often diamond tools are needed to carve it, and it can be turned into beautiful jewellery. Because greenstone is so hard it has been used as an alternative to iron in axes and similar hand tools.

Culture

Māori

The Māori word for greenstone is pounamu. They call the South Island of New Zealand Te Wai Pounamu, meaning "The [land of] Greenstone Water". Greenstone is highly valued by the Māori and it plays an important role in their culture. It is considered a taonga or treasure, and so is protected under the Treaty of Waitangi. The Maori club, the mere, was often made of greenstone. Greenstone artefacts were often given as gifts to seal important agreements. Jewellery is still produced much of this is in traditional Māori designs.

Europe

Greenstone rocks have been used to make axes across Europe. Several sites including Langdale axe industry have been identified.

External link

- [http://www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz/Office/The%20Settlement/The%20Crowns%20Settlement%20Offer/Cultural%20Redress/Pounamu Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu] — Web site of the Ngāi Tahu tribe in Southern New Zealand, with information about Pounamu relating to the Treaty of Waitangi

1864

1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar).

Events

January - March

- January 21 - Maori Wars: The Tauranga Campaign starts.
- February 1 - Danish-Prussian War (Second war of Schleswig) begins. 57.000 Austrian and Prussian troops cross Eider River to Denmark.
- February 27 - American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia.
- March 1- Alejandro Mon Menéndez takes office as Prime Minister of Spain
- March 10 - American Civil War: The Red River Campaign begins as Union troops reach Alexandria, Louisiana.
- March 11 - A reservoir near Sheffield bursts; 250 dead

April - June

- April 18 - Danish-Prussian War (Second War of Schleswig): Battle of Dybbøl. The Prussian army fielding 10,000 men defeats the Danish defending army of 9,200 at Dybbøl Mill after an artillery bombardment from April 7 to April 18.
- April 22 - The U.S. Congress passes the Coinage Act of 1864 which mandates that the inscription "In God We Trust" be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
- May 5 - American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
- May 7 - American Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards.
- May 11 - American Civil War: Battle of Yellow Tavern - Confederate General JEB Stuart is mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern, Virginia.
- May 12 - American Civil War: Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: The "Bloody Angle" - thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers die.
- May 13 - American Civil War: Battle of Resaca - the battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta.
- May 15 - American Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia - Students from the Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the Confederate Army to force Union General Franz Sigel out of the Shenandoah Valley.
- May 18 - Civil War gold hoax - New York World and the New York Journal of Commerce publish a fake proclamation that president Abraham Lincoln has issued a draft of 400,000 more soldiers
- May 20 - American Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church - In the Virginia Bermuda Hundred Campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory
- May 26 - Montana is organized as a United States territory.
- June 5 - American Civil War: Battle of Piedmont - Union forces under General David Hunter defeat a Confederate army at Piedmont, West Virginia, taking nearly 1,000 prisoners.
- June 10 - American Civil War: Battle of Brice's Crossroads - Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest defeat a much larger Union force led by General Samuel D. Sturgis in Mississippi.
- June 12 - American Civil War: Battle of Cold Harbor: - General Ulysses S. Grant pulls his troops from their positions at Cold Harbor, Virginia and moves south.
- June 15 - Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.8 km²) of Arlington Mansion are officially set-aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.
- June 15 - American Civil War: Battle of Petersburg begins - Union forces under General Grant and troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee battle for the last time.

July - September

- July 18 - President Lincoln issues a true proclamation of conscription of 500.000 men for the US Civil War
- July 20 - American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek - Near Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate forces led by General John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General William T. Sherman.
- June 21 - Maori Wars: The Tauranga Campaign ends.
- July 22 - American Civil War: Battle of Atlanta - Outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate General Hood leads an unsuccessful attack on Union troops under General Sherman on Bald Hill.
- July 24 - American Civil War: Battle of Kernstown - Confederate General Jubal Early defeats Union troops led by General George Crook in an effort to keep the Yankees out of the Shenandoah Valley.
- July 28 - American Civil War: Battle of Ezra Church begins - Confederate troops led by General Hood make a third unsuccessful attempt to drive Union forces under General Sherman from Atlanta, Georgia.
- July 29 - American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC.
- July 30 - American Civil War: Battle of the Crater - Union forces attempt to break Confederate lines by exploding a large bomb under their trenches.
- August 1 - foundation of Elgin Watch Company in Elgin, Illinois
- August 5 - American Civil War: Battle of Mobile Bay begins - At Mobile Bay near Mobile, Alabama, Admiral David Farragut leads a Union flotilla through Confederate defenses and seals one of the last major Southern ports.
- August 18 - American Civil War: Battle of Weldon Railroad - Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant try to cut a vital Confederate supply-line into Petersburg, Virginia, by attacking the Weldon Railroad forcing the Confederates to use wagons.
- August 22 - International Red Cross founded in Geneva, Switzerland.
- September 1 - American Civil War: Confederate General Hood evacuates Atlanta after a four month siege mounted by Union General Sherman.
- September 1 - 8 - Delegates from the Canadian colonies meet at the Charlottetown Conference to discuss Canadian Confederation.
- September 2 - American Civil War: Union forces under General Sherman enter Atlanta a day after the Confederate defenders fled the city.
- September 7 - American Civil War: Atlanta, Georgia is evacuated on orders of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.

October - December

- October 2 - American Civil War: Battle of Saltville - Union forces attack Saltville, Virginia but are defeated by Confederate troops.
- October 5 – Cyclone kills 70.000 in Calcutta, India
- October 9 - American Civil War: Battle of Tom's Brook - Union cavalrymen in the Shenandoah Valley defeat Confederate forces at Tom's Brook, Virginia.
- October 28 - American Civil War: Second Battle of Fair Oaks ends - Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant withdraw from Fair Oaks, Virginia, after failing to breach the Confederate defenses around Richmond, Virginia.
- October 30 - Second war of Schleswig concluded. Denmark renounces all claim to Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg, which come under Prussian and Austrian administration.
- October 30 - Helena, Montana is founded after four prospectors discover gold at "Last Chance Gulch."
- October 31 - Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state
- November 4 - American Civil War: Battle of Johnsonville - At Johnsonville, Tennessee, troops under the command of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest bombard a Union supply base with artillery and destroy millions of dollars in materiel.
- November 8 - U.S. presidential election, 1864: Abraham Lincoln is reelected in an overwhelming victory over George McClellan.
- November 15 - American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea begins - Union General Sherman burns Atlanta and starts to move south, destroying everything in his path in order to punish the Confederates for starting the war.
- November 22 - American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Confederate General John Bell Hood invades Tennessee in an unsuccessful attempt to draw Union General Sherman from Georgia.
- November 29 - Indian Wars: Sand Creek Massacre - Colorado volunteers led by Colonel John Chivington massacre at least 400 Cheyenne and Arapahoe noncombatants at Sand Creek, Colorado (where they had been given permission to camp).
- November 30 - American Civil War: Battle of Franklin - The Army of Tennessee led by General Hood mounts a dramatically unsuccessful frontal assault on Union positions around Franklin, Tennessee (Hood lost six generals and almost a third of his troops).
- December 4 - American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea - At Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General Sherman's campaign of destroying a wide swath of the South on his march to the Gulf of Mexico (Union forces did suffer more than three times the casualties as the Confederates, however).
- December 15-16- American Civil War: Union forces decisively defeat the Confederate Army of Tennessee at the Battle of Nashville
- Imperial forces assault the Taiping capital of Nanking in the last great battle of the civil war.
- James Clerk Maxwell discovers microwaves
- First Geneva Convention
- Danevirke destroyed
- Syllabus errorum: Pope Pius IX condemns theological liberalism as an error and claims for the supremacy of Roman Catholic Church authority over the civil society. He also condemns rationalism and socialism
- Russia completes its conquest of the North Caucasus, annexing Abkhazia and Circassia and expelling many of the Abkhazians and all of the Ubykhs
- Haiti declares independence
- Brazil invades Uruguay in support of Venancio Flores. Paraguay attacks Brazil.
- John Wisden publishes first edition of Wisden Cricketer's Almanack. It goes on to become the major annual cricket publication.
- Asa Mercer travels from Seattle to the US East Coast and recruits 11 "Mercer Girls", potential wives for men on the West Coast

Births

- January 1 - Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946)
- January 8 - Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence (d. 1892)
- January 13 - Wilhelm Wien, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
- January 24 - Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and feminist leader (d. 1936)
- March 13 - Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian impressionist painter (d. 1941)
- March 15 - Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian composer (d. 1935)
- March 19 - Charles Marion Russell, American artist (d. 1926)
- April 21 - Max Weber, German sociologist (d.