Map of Otago
Otago is a first-level division of New Zealand. Its largest mapped city is Dunedin, with about 117,700 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Otago, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the lakes, ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- Dunedin
- Country
- New Zealand
Interactive Map of Otago
About Otago
The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.
The capital of the province was Dunedin. Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the province again in 1870.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Otago Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Otago in Depth
Area and history
Otago Province was one of the six original provinces established in New Zealand in 1853. It covered the lower third of the South Island. Its northern neighbour was the Canterbury Province, and the boundary was the Waitaki River from the Pacific Ocean to its source in the Southern Alps, and from there a straight line to Awarua Bay (now known as Big Bay) on the west coast. The inland area of the Waitaki catchment was unexplored in 1853 and dispute later arose over which branch of the Waitaki should form the boundary. The boundary was delineated in 1861 as following the Ōhau River to Lake Ōhau and from there a straight line to Mount Aspiring and Awarua Bay.
Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the province again in 1870.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Otago Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Otago: Key Facts
| Established | 1853 |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q7108349 (CC0).
History of Otago: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Otago, from British Colonial Empire in 1848 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| British Colonial Empire | 1848–1957 CE |
| The British Empire | 1848–1957 CE |
| New Zealand | 1948–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Otago
Otago 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 Otago
4 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 | Dunedin | 117,700 | Otago | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Queenstown | 16,600 | Otago | Populated place |
| 3 | Oamaru | 13,000 | Otago | Populated place |
| 4 | Wanaka | 5,037 | Otago | Populated place |
Largest Lakes in Otago
5 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 Wakatipu | 317 km² | Lake |
| 2 | Lake Wanaka | 178 km² | Lake |
| 3 | Lake Hawea | 141 km² | Reservoir |
| 4 | Lake Ohau | 56 km² | Lake |
| 5 | Lake Dunstan | 37 km² | Reservoir |
Ports in Otago
1 port 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 | Otago Harbor | 27.4 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
Otago: Quick Answers
- Where is Otago?
- Otago is a first-level division of New Zealand, in Oceania. Its mapped cities centre on 45.1788° S, 169.8389° E.
- What is the largest city in Otago?
- Dunedin is the largest city mapped in Otago, with a metropolitan population of about 117,700.
- How many cities are in Otago?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in Otago, with a combined metropolitan population of about 152,337. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Otago?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Otago is Lake Wakatipu, at about 317 km².