Geography of New Zealand Geography of New Zealand New Zealand ("") is an island country located in the south-western Pacific Ocean, near the centre of the water hemisphere. It is a long and narrow country and comprises around 600 islands. The two main islands by size are the North Island (or "Te Ika-a-Māui") and the South Island (or "Te Waipounamu"), separated by the Cook Strait; the third-largest island, Stewart Island (or "Rakiura"), is located off the tip of the South Island across Foveaux Strait. Significantly smaller islands include Waiheke Island, Chatham Island, Great Barrier Island and more, although many are uninhabited. New Zealand's landscape
Mindoro Strait Mindoro Strait The Mindoro Strait () is one of the straits connecting the South China Sea with the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. It separates Mindoro Island from Busuanga Island (one of the Calamian Islands of Palawan Province). Located between the two islands is the Apo Reef, the largest coral reef system in the Philippines. The reef divides the strait into the Apo East Pass and the Apo West Pass. The Mindoro Strait is part of an alternate route for ships passing between the Indian and Pacific oceans and a common one for those exceeding the Malaccamax size and therefore