Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south-east of the South Island. It has an area of approximately 32,000 km² (12,350 square miles), making it the country's second-largest region. In the 2006 census, it had a population of 193,800. The name "Otago" anglicises the Kai Tahu Māori dialect name "Ōtākou". The village of Otakou on the Otago Peninsula served as a whaling base during early years of European economic interest in the east coast of Murihiku around 1840.