People
The region had a usually resident population of 222,423 people at the 2006 Census, the fifth-largest population in New Zealand. The region has a lower than average population density, 10.3 people per square kilometre, compared with 13.1 for New Zealand. Between the 2001 and 2006 censuses the population rose by 1.6%, or 3,477 people.
There are two major urban areas in the region. Palmerston North, with an estimated resident population of 82,400, expanded as an educational centre and a supply centre for the surrounding rural hinterland. It became a city in 1930. The other major urban area is Wanganui/Whanganui, with an estimated resident population of 39,700 (June 2012 estimates). Other urban centres include Levin, Feilding, Dannevirke, Taumarunui, Foxton, and Marton.
City life does not dominate the region, as half the population live outside a large urban area, over a third in small towns or rural areas. While manufacturing has become an important part of the region's economy, most businesses are agriculturally based and agriculture remains the regional linchpin. The dominance of agriculture, combined with the relatively small scale of most urban areas, gives a rural quality to the region, quite distinct from neighbouring Wellington. The region's rugged interior has also become one of the main training areas for New Zealand's defence force, which maintain three bases in the region.
Read more about this topic: Manawatu-Wanganui Region
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