To put New Zealand into perspective

Our first field biology lecture involved a great deal of fun facts aimed at helping to put our location into perspective.

The northern tip of New Zealand is about 700 miles south of "the tropics" at about 34.5 degrees latitude, so the same distance south of the equator as LA or Atlanta are north.

Auckland, on the North Island, is at about the same distance as Nashville, and has a population roughly equal to Milwaukee.

Wellington, the capital of NZ and also on the North Island is about the same distance as Gary, IN and has a population about the size of Madison.

Christchurch, where I am, is about the same distance as Wisconsin Dells and is also has a Madison-ish population.

Dunedin, at the south of the South Island, has a population roughly equal to Green Bay and is about the same distance from the equator as Eagle River.

Stewart Island, just off the south of the South Island, has a population about equal to Scandinavia or Bayfield and is about the same distance from the equator as the northern tip of the Apostle Islands.

New Zealand, in land, is about the size of Colorado, with the South island having about as much land as Wisconsin. The fartherst anyone can be from the ocean is about 70 miles, and has a total population of 4 million. About 3 million people live on the North Island, with the remaining 1 million on the South Island. Wisconsin has a population of about 5 million. Because I am living in a city, I don't really feel like there are fewer people here than there are anywhere else, nor did I when I was traveling around the island, but I did mostly hit the tourist hotspots. Oh! and Sydney to Christchurch is about the same distances as Stevens Point to Miami.