Nelson

District in the north of South Island, New Zealand; population (1996) 52,300. The area, particularly in the north, produces fruits and hops, and vines are grown. There is sheep farming and timber milling. The area has significant mineral deposits yet to be fully exploited: dolomite, limestone, and asbestos are produced.

Nelson

River in eastern Manitoba, Canada; length 640 km/400 mi. It issues from the northern end of Lake Winnipeg and flows out into Hudson Bay. It drains not only Lake Winnipeg but also the Saskatchewan river system, and its volume and various drops along the Canadian Shield have made it the site of numerous hydroelectric power plants.

Course From Lake Winnipeg the Nelson flows through Playgreen Lake, past Norway House. It continues generally northeast, through Cross and Sipiwesk lakes, by way of falls and rapids, to Split Lake, where the Burntwood and Grass rivers join it. It then flows northeast through the Hudson Bay Lowlands to Port Nelson on Hudson Bay, west of the mouth of the Hayes River at York Factory.

History Fur traders used this short, although often turbulent, route connecting Lake Winnipeg to Hudson Bay; in 1682 the Hudson's Bay Company established Fort (now Port) Nelson at the river's mouth.

Nelson

City in the Central Kootenay Regional District of southeastern British Columbia; population (1991) 8,800. It lies on the Kootenai River and the western arm of Kootenay Lake, in the Selkirk Mountains, 55 km/35 mi north of the border with Washington State and 428 km/266 mi east of Vancouver.

Nelson was founded when a silver mine was opened nearby in the late 1880s. It is now a railway centre, and serves a lumbering, mining, and farming area. Tourism is also an important source of local revenue.

Nelson

Seaport and commercial centre of Nelson district on the northern coast of South Island, New Zealand, on Tasman Bay at the mouth of the Matai River; population (2001 est) 41,600. It has engineering, fertilizer, glass, and food-processing industries. Nelson is the base of Australasia's biggest fishing fleet, and logs, timber products, fruit, and seafood are exported.

Nelson was founded in 1841, and was the third of the settlements established under the direction of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and the New Zealand Company. Nelson became New Zealand's second city in 1858, and it developed rapidly in the 1860s after the discovery of gold nearby. By the late 20th century tourism had become increasingly important, and the town also catered for a large retirement community.

The Cawthorn Institute (1919) in Nelson has a reputation for its work on soils, mineral deficiencies, and the control of fungus and insect pests. The institute owes its origin to Thomas Cawthron, who left £240,000 for the promotion of scientific research to benefit the primary industries of New Zealand. The Suter Art Gallery (1899) features one of the largest art collections in New Zealand.