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Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, has the country's second largest metropolitan area. Wellington has a reputation for its picturesque natural harbour and green hillsides adorned with tiered suburbs of colonial villas. Known in Mori as Te Whanganui a Tara (the harbour of Tara -- after the Maori name for Wellingon Harbour), Wellington stands alongside Melbourne as a cultural centre of Australasia, with a thriving arts scene, café culture and buzzing nightlife that locals say rival those of cities many times its size.

1 Location and demographics

Wellington stands at the southwestern tip of the North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. Several important cities are in the North Island, notably New Zealand's largest city Auckland, and Wellington, the capital, located at the southern extremity on Cook StraitCook Strait is the strait between the North Island and South Island of New Zealand. It is named after James Cook who was the first European to sail it. On the north side of the strait is the harbour of Wellington. On the south side are the Marlborough Sou, the passage that divides the North and South Islands. On a clear day the snowcapped Kaikoura Ranges are visible across the strait. To the north stretch the golden beaches of the Kapiti CoastKapiti Coast Urban Area Name Kapiti Urban Area Population 35,900 Extent Paekakariki toPekapeka TerritorialAuthority Name Kapiti Coast District Population 45,200 Extent Paekakariki to Otaki; east to the Tararuas RegionalCouncil Name Wellington The Kapiti C. On the east the Rimutaka RangeThe Rimutaka Range (often referred to as the Rimutaka Ranges is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. The ridge is at its m divides Wellington from the broad plains of the WairarapaThe Wairarapa is a district or subregion of New Zealand occupying the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of Wellington and south-west of Hawke Bay. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest., a wine region of worldwide acclaim.

More than most cities, life in Wellington is dominated by its central business district. Approximately 62,000 people work in the Wellington CBD, only 4,000 fewer than work in AucklandAuckland in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest metropolitan area in the South Pacific Ocean. In Mori it bears the name Tmaki Makau Rau or karana . At 37 degrees south latitude, the Auckland urban area lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Paci's CBD, despite that city having three times Wellington's population. Wellington's cultural and nightlife venues are further concentrated in the southern part of the CBD, making the inner city suburb of Te Aro the largest entertainment destination in New Zealand.

Wellington is the southernmost national capital cityThis article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. For alternative meanings see capital (disambiguation In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meanin in the world with a latitudeLatitude denoted φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. Latitude is an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles. Usually, the difference in latitude largely affects the climate and/or wea about 41 degrees south. It is more densely populated than most other settlements in New Zealand, due to the small amount of building space available between the harbour and the surrounding hills.

Wellington urban area population was estimated at 363,400 for June 2003; that includes most of each of the satellite cities of Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, and Porirua. The Wellington Region, however, extends much further, including the Districts of Kapiti Coast, South Wairarapa , Carterton, and Masterton.

On the hill west of the city centre, near Victoria University, is a botanic garden, and both can be reached on a funicular railway (the "cable car").

Wellington Harbour has three islands: Somes (Matiu in Maori), Ward (Makaro) and Mokopuna. Only Somes Island is large enough for settlement. It has been used as a quarantine station for people and animals and as an internment camp during the First and Second World Wars. It is now a conservation island, providing refuge for endangered species, much like Kapiti Island further up the coast. There is limited access to the public during daylight hours by means of a stopoff on the Dominion Post Ferry.

The city has an average annual rainfall of 1270 mm.