Christchurch, city, E South Island,
New Zealand, on the Avon River. It is the second largest city in New Zealand
by population (2020) and the commercial center of the productive Canterbury
Plains. Industries include food processing, meatpacking, woolens
manufacturing, aquaculture, software development, and electronics; tourism
is also important. Lyttelton, nearby, is the port for Christchurch. Perhaps
the most English of New Zealand's cities, Christchurch was founded in 1850
and has such landmarks as Hagley Park and the Anglican and Roman Catholic
cathedrals (both damaged severely in 2011). Nicknamed “Garden City of
the Plains,” it is also distinguished by its many public parks and
botanical gardens. The Univ. of Canterbury (est. 1873) is in suburban Ilam.
The city suffered severe and widespread damage from earthquakes in 2010 and
2011.
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