Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Southern Alps

SOUTHERN ALPS, the name given to the Central and loftiest portion of the great dividing range of the S. Island of New Zealand. Many of the peaks are perpetually snow-capped, the highest being Mount Cook (13,200 feet). The glaciers of the southern Alps rival those of the Swiss Alps in magnitude, and on the W. side extend to within a few hundred feet of the sea-level.