North Island
1
2.8
- proper noun
:
Isla Norte
- Much of the early history of the European presence played out in and around Russell, a small town on New Zealand's North Island where last year's New Zealand Archaeological Association conference was held and which was briefly the country's British capital in the early nineteenth century.
- North Island hill
- North Island hill country
- North Island farmland
Examples
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The following day, Randy and his heavily hung-over mates boarded the ferry to the North Island.
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He's a hotshot promoter from the North Island.
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Tell us about the North Island again, Dad.
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Gentlemen, welcome to the North Island.
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The majority were on North Island.
Academic text (1991) -
The central volcanic plateau of the North Island is one of my favorite places.
Blog text (31) -
In the North Island, I really like the geothermal areas around Rotorua.
Blog text (31) -
Ayrlies Garden, near Whitford, North Island of New Zealand
Blog text (31) -
Here's the cove at Ahipara on the extreme northeast cape... of New Zealand's North Island.
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The North Island is the more populous of New Zealand's two main islands, known for its beautiful landscapes.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The name is compositionally built from 'North' (northern) + 'island' (land surrounded by water), so a learner who knows those words can infer it refers to the island located to the north (here, the northern of New Zealand's main islands). Although it is a proper name for a specific place, the spatial logic is transparent and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
North Island got its name from a very simple map idea: it is the island that lies to the north of New Zealand's two main islands, so people called one North and the other South. That's why North Island today means the northern main island of New Zealand, where most people live.