Fiordland is a geographic region of
New Zealand in the south-western corner of the
South Island, comprising the western-most third of
Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped
Southern Alps, deep lakes and its ocean-flooded, steep western valleys. Indeed, the name "Fiordland" comes from a variant spelling of the
Scandinavian word for this type of steep valley, "
fjord".