Motu Matua
Motu Matua (Māori) | |
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Geography | |
Location | Oceania |
Area | 1,002,183 km2 (386,945 sq mi) |
Area rank | 1st |
Highest elevation | 2,703 m (8868 ft) |
Highest point | Kei Runga Kapua/Mount Luiz |
Administration | |
New Duveland | |
Provinces | Devereaux, Lapérouse, Macquarie, McKenzie, Moanarua, Tasman |
Largest settlement | Greater Tasbury (pop. 4,410,357) |
Demographics | |
Population | 16,821,928 (2024) |
Pop. density | 15.27/km2 (39.55/sq mi) |
Motu Matua is the main landmass within the country of New Duveland, and contains 5 out of 8 of New Duveland's provinces, and the nation's capital territory of Macquarie. Home to 83.31% of New Duveland's population, it is usually referred to simply just The Mainland by those living off-shore, such as in the provinces of Norfolk, the Montmaneu Islands and New Caledonia, as well as nearby islands such as Espérance's Île de L'Espérance, the second-most populated (but only 8th largest) island in the country.
Despite it's size, the island is relatively undeveloped, with large swaths of land, especially in the central mountainous regions of the Southern and Northern Tasman Ranges, as well as the arid north-west coast of Lapérouse. These regions are very sparse and often have population densities lower than 0.2/km2. Most of the island's population resides in major urban areas, specifically Tasbury, mainland Espérance, Lisburn, Toulon, and Macquarie. Population centres are tied to coastal areas as well as along river valleys, including the Devereaux and McKenzie Rivers.
The island is the second largest in the world, behind only Greenland, which is roughly double the size of Motu Matua, while the mainland is roughly twice the size of Madagascar. The island while also being home to a majority of New Duvelanders, also contains roughly 91% of the nation's total landmass. Mainland New Duveland has a variety of climatic regions, ranging from subtropical rainforests and deserts to cool temperature rainforests to snow-covered mountains. It is in these mainland regions that much of New Duveland's native flora and fauna can be found.