About the Region
Otago, in the south of New Zealand's South Island, is the second largest region in terms of land area. It has a population of 190 600 (2002 census). The city of Dunedin on the east coast is the regional centre
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Size
Districts
Population
Size
Otago is the second largest region in New Zealand in terms of land area; approximately 32,000 sq km or 12% of New Zealand's land area. The coastline stretches approximately 480km from the Waitaki River in the north to Wallace Beach in the south. The coastal marine area extends out to sea 22.2 km (12 nautical miles).
Read more about the Otago coastline
Districts
There are four districts and one city in the Otago region. While the Waitaki District falls partly within the Otago region and partly within the Canterbury region, 90% of its population live in the Otago region. Dunedin City, at approximately 3,300 sq km, is the largest city in New Zealand in terms of land area.
Read about the Otago regional councillors for each district
See a map of the districts of Otago
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Population
Otago's resident population is 190 600, which is approximately 5% of New Zealand's total population of 3.8 million (June, 2002 Census figure, Statistics NZ). 60% of the region's population live in the Dunedin urban area.
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