Invercargill, city in New Zealand, on southern South Island. The city is located at the mouth of the Waihopai River, on the New River Harbour of Foveaux Strait. Invercargill is the gateway to the scenic fjord and lake fishing areas to the northwest. Industries include meat packing, wool milling, dairy processing, sawmilling, brewing, and the manufacture of foundry and clay products, machinery, flour, and fertilizer. The city is served by the port of Bluff, 19 km (12 mi) south, from which timber, meat, fish, oysters, wool, and granite are exported. The Mataura lignite mines are nearby, and sheep grazing and dairy and vegetable farming are carried on on the Southland Plain. Invercargill was settled in the 1850s and chartered in 1871. Population (1998 estimate) 48,200.
