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Invercargill is the southernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the most southern settlements in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 kilometres north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town in the South Island.
In 1856 a petition was put forward to Thomas Gore Browne, the Governor of New Zealand, for a port at Bluff. Browne agreed to the petition and gave the name Invercargill to the settlement near the port. Inver comes from Scots Gaelic meaning at the mouth of river and Cargill is in honour of Captain William Cargill, who was at the time the Superintendent of Otago, of which Southland was then a part.
Invercargill is home to the Southern Institute of Technology which has introduced a fees-free scheme. There is a large park, Queens Park, just north of the main city centre. This park has botanical gardens, an aviary, sports grounds, and is also home to the Southland Museum and Art Gallery.
Many large supermarkets and other shops are present, but there is no large shopping mall. Also due to the Invercargill Licensing Trust alcohol is not sold in supermarkets.
In recent years, publicity has been brought to the southern city due to the election of Tim Shadbolt, an colourful and outspoken former student activist as mayor.
Climate A temperate oceanic climate, similar to that of the British Isles, prevails in Invercargill, where the mean daily temperature ranges from 5.2°C in July to 13.8°C in January. Precipitation averages 1,064 mm annually, and measurable snowfall is occasionally seen during the winter months of June to September.
The average high temperature ranges from 18.4 °C in January to 11.1 °C in August. Due to the relatively high latitude (46° 42'), the city enjoys nearly 16 hours of daylight at the summer solstice in late December.
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