Wellington

:For other Wellingtons, see Wellington (disambiguation). For the City of Wellington, see Wellington City.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Poneke) is the capital city of New Zealand and the country's second-largest urban area. Wellington stands at the southern tip of the North Island in the geographical centre of the country.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

New Zealand's major financial institutions are divided between Wellington and Auckland, and some organisations have headquarters in both cities. It is New Zealand's political centre, housing Parliament and head offices for all government departments and ministries. Wellington is often described as New Zealand's cultural centre, boasting a world class film and theatre industry, Te Papa (the Museum of New Zealand), the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Its compact city centre supports an arts scene, caf? culture and nightlife much larger than most cities of a similar size.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wellington was named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor at the Battle of Waterloo. The Duke's title comes from the town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the M?ori language Wellington goes by two names. Te Whanganui-a-Tara refers to Wellington Harbour and means "the great harbour of Tara". The alternative name P?neke is often discouraged because of a belief that it is nothing more than a transliteration of the harbour's former nickname in English, Port Nick, short for Port Nicholson.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Like many cities, Wellington's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority. Greater Wellington or the Wellington Region means the entire urban area, plus the rural parts of the cities and the Kapiti Coast, and across the Rimutaka Range to the Wairarapa.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wellington (disambiguation): The name Wellington has been given to many places and things, most commonly in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington whose title comes from the town of Wellington, Somerset....

Wellington City: :This article is about the City of Wellington. For a more general overview, see the main article Wellington....

Urban area: Urban area is a term used to define an area where there is an increased density of man-made structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. This term is at one end of the spectrum of suburban and rural areas. An urban area is more frequently called a city or town....

Wellington related Images and Photos (experimental)

Wellington Defeats Ney	Wellington at Waterloo 1886	The Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)	H.M.S. Wellington in Portsmouth Harbor
Wellington Decisively Defeats the French Under Marmont	Political Map of Wellington OH	The Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) Studying a Bust of Napoleon (1769-1821)	The Duke of Wellington at Waterloo
Wellington Crosses the Pyrenees from Spain into France: in His Camp at Night	Hobart Town with Mount Wellington Tasmania	The Duke of Wellington and His Staff Crossing the Bidassoa and Entering France 1813	The Meeting of the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal Blucher