LOCATION OF NEW ZEALAND

THE REALM OF NEW ZEALAND

BASIC FACTS
Official name New Zealand (English); Aotearoa (Maori) commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. Capital: Wellington

Area: 268,680 sq km
Flag: The flag of New Zealand is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right. The stars represent the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross, as seen from New Zealand. It became the national flag 24th March 1902. Coat of arms: The shield is supported by two figures, a blonde woman of European descent holding the New Zealand flag, and a Mori warrior holding a taiaha, a Mori ceremonial spear (current design: 1956). Anthem: New Zealand is unusual in that it has two national anthems. The national and the most commonly used anthem God Defend New Zealand anthem, and the British national anthem God Save the Queen which has equal standing in New Zealand. Monetary unit:1 New Zealand dollar ($NZ), consisting of 100 cents Nickname: kiwi

BASIC FACTS
PEOPLE People Population 4,154,311 (2008 estimate) Urban/rural distribution Share urban 86 % (2005 estimate) Share rural 14 % (2005 estimate) Political geography New Zealand consists of sixteen regions, nine are in the North Island and seven are in the South Island.
1. Northland 2. Auckland 3. Waikato 4. Bay of Plenty 5. East Cape 6. Hawke's Bay 7. Taranaki 8. ManawatuWanganui 9. Wellington

10. Tasman 11. Nelson 12. Marlborough 13. West Coast 14. Canterbury 15. Otago 16. Southland

BASIC FACTS
Largest cities, with population Auckland 404,658 (2006) Wellington 370,100 (2005 estimate) Christchurch 367,800 (2005 estimate) Hamilton 185,100 (2005 estimate) Dunedin 114,800 (2005 estimate)

AUCKLAND, the largest city in New Zealand

A view of WELLINGTON from the top of Mount Victoria.

CHRISTCHURCH Cathedral

HAMILTON is located on the Waikato River

DUNEDIN Harbour

BASIC FACTS
Population density 16 persons/km2 (2008 est.)
Ethnic groups European 75 % Maori 15 % Pacific % 5 percent Other (including Asian) 5 % Languages English (official) Maori ['mari] (official) Polynesian languages Religious affiliations Protestant 24 % Anglican 21 % Roman Catholic 13 % Buddhist 1 % Nonreligious 13 % Other (including Jewish and Hindu) 28 %

GOVERNMENT
Form of government: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy. democracy and

Head of state: Governor-general, representing the British monarch. Anand Satyanand was appointed by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of Prime Minister Helen Clark, as Governor-General of New Zealand on 23 August 2006. His appointment was welcomed by every Parliamentary party leader. He is the first GovernorGeneral of Asian descent and the first Roman Catholic Governor-General.
Head of government: Prime Minister. Helen Elizabeth Clark is the 37th and current Prime Minister of New Zealand. She is New Zealand's second female Prime Minister and has been in office since December 1999, entering her third successive term in 2005. Legislature: Unicameral legislature Representatives: 120 members House of

Constitution: No written constitution; political system closely modelled on that of the United Kingdom.

ETYMOLOGY
1642: Dutch explorer Abel Tasman (first European to see the islands) called it Staten Landt. Dutch cartographers called the islands Nova Zeelandia, after the Dutch province of Zeeland. In 1645, first appearance of the term (cartographer Johan Blaeu). Then, explorer James Cook anglicised the name to New Zealand.

GEOGRAPHY
The South Island is the largest land mass of New Zealand. It is divided along its length by the Southern Alps.

AORAKI/MOUNT COOK (3,754 metres), the tallest mountain in New Zealand

Typical rugged coastline of the West Coast.

FOX AND FRANZ JOSEF GLACIERS

CANTERBURY PLAINS

FIORLAND NATIONAL PARK UNESCO World Heritage site

MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS (Northeast of South Island)

CLUTHA RIVER, the longest river in the South Island (340 km)

GEOGRAPHY

The North Island is less mountainous but is marked by volcanism.

The highest North Island mountain, MOUNT RUAPEHU (2,797 m), is an active cone volcano.

MOUNT TARANAKI /EGMONT (2,518 m), almost perfectly symmetrical the mountain is only thirty minutes from the bustling coastal city of New Plymouth, enabling the visitor to go skiing and surfing in the same day.

LAKE TAUPO (616 km2), the largest lake by surface area in the country, fills a large caldera volcano.

WAIKATO RIVER (425 km) is the longest river in New Zealand. When it drains Lake Taupo, it creates HUKA FALLS

The Bay of Islands in the region of Northland

CLIMATE
The latitude of New Zealand corresponds closely to that of Italy in the Northern Hemisphere. However, its isolation from continental influences and exposure to cold southerly winds and ocean currents give the climate a much milder character. The climate throughout the country is mild and temperate, mainly maritime, with temperatures rarely falling below 0C or rising above 30C in populated areas. January and February are the warmest months while July is the coldest. New Zealand does not have a large temperature range however the weather can change rapidly and unexpectedly. Subtropical conditions are seen in Northland.
New Zealand from space. The snow-capped Southern Alps dominate the South Island, while the North Island's Northland Peninsula stretches towards the subtropics

Typical weather of the West Coast (South Island).

ORIGINS AND VERY BRIEF HISTORY

The Maori were New Zealand's first settlers.They arrived in the North Island, 1,000 years ago. The great explorer Kupe, who legend says first discovered New Zealand, named the new land Aotearoa Land of the Long White Cloud. The first documented European to discover New Zealand was Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, who came here in 1642 in search of the fabled great southern continent MU.

ORIGINS AND VERY BRIEF HISTORY

British explorer Captain James Cook arrived in 1769, during the first of his 3 voyages of exploration in the South Pacific Ocean. This year, Captain James Cook claimed it for Britain and produced a map of the country.
The Treaty of Waitangi, seen as New Zealand's founding document, established the country as a colony of the British Empire. It was signed in 1840 between leading Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown.

The signing of the treaty began on 6 February 1840, which has become New Zealand's national day, known as 'Waitangi Day'.

 As settler numbers increased, conflicts over land led to the New Zealand Land Wars of the 1860s and 1870s, resulting in the loss of much Mori land. The detail of European settlement and the acquisition of land from Mori remain controversial.

In 1907, New Zealand became an independent Dominion. In 1947, it became a fully independent nation when the Statute of Westminster (1931) was ratified.

A newspaper article on the adoption of the Statute of Westminster, 1947.

FAUNA
During its long isolation New Zealand developed a distinctive fauna dominated by birds, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and the mammals they introduced. Some flightless birds have survived, including the kiwi, a nocturnal bird that is the national emblem and the kakapo (Mori: kkp, meaning night parrot), the worlds largest parrot.

WHAT IS A 'KIWI'?
The kiwi, New Zealand's national emblem, is a flightless bird with hair-like feathers and a long, slender bill which it uses to pull worms and insects out of the ground. Found only in New Zealand, it is active at night in the wilderness areas of the country.

New Zealanders often refer to themselves as Kiwis.

The term is also used as a short form for the famous kiwifruit. On the stock exchange, the New Zealand Dollar is also referred to as 'the kiwi.

FLORA
The plant life of New Zealand includes about 1,500 indigenous species found nowhere else in the world.
Examples: - The golden kowhai (New Zealands national flower). - The scarlet pohutukawa.

 The characteristic New Zealand forest is a temperate and evergreen rain forest.
Among the native plants are: giant tree ferns, a relic from the Age of Dinosaurs, and the giant kauri, one of the largest trees in the world.

TREE FERNS
SILVER TREE FERN Grows to 10 meters. Its easily recognised by the silver underside of the fronds.

SOFT TREE FERN Grows to 8 meters. A flag with regular white lettering and silver fern on black,, is a popular design used by sport fans

NEW ZEALAND'S NATURAL HERITAGE

After only 1000 years of human settlement New Zealand has lost many native species. Protection measures: - Removing introduced pests from island wildlife sanctuaries, - Establishment of 13 national parks, 3 maritime parks, 2 world heritage areas, hundreds of nature reserves and ecological areas. - A network of marine reserves and wetlands, and protection for special rivers and lakes. In total, around 30 % of New Zealand's land area is protected conservation land.

ECONOMY
Market economy dependent on international trade, mainly with Australia, the European Union, the United States, China and Japan. It is also strongly focused on tourism and primary industries. Traditionally based on exports from its very efficient agricultural system. Leading agricultural exports include meat, dairy products, forest products, fruit and vegetables, fish, and wool. It has substantial hydroelectric power and sizable reserves of natural gas. New Zealand is a nuclear free zone today.

 Sport in New Zealand largely reflects its British colonial heritage. New Zealand's most popular sport is rugby union, the national sport. New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, has the best winning record of any national team in the world. The All Blacks traditionally perform a haka, a Mori challenge, at the start of international matches.

SPORTS

 Other popular sports include cricket, rugby league, soccer and netball (the top ranking female sport by participation); golf, tennis, rowing and a variety of water sports, particularly sailing.

FAMOUS NEW ZELANDERS

Edmund Hillary - Mountain climber. First man to conquer Mt Everest with Nepalese Sherpa Tensing Norgay. Ernest Rutherford Famous for splitting the atom and pioneering nuclear science. Winner of the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Maurice Wilkins - Shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his part in elucidating the structure of DNA. Alan G. MacDiarmid - Cowinner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

 Katherine Mansfield Novelist. New Zealand's most famous writer. She revolutionised the 20th Century English short story. Kiri Te Kanawa - Opera singer. He sang at Prince Charles and Diana's royal wedding. Peter Jackson - Film director. Films include King Kong and the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. The Return of the King" set an Oscar record by winning all 11 awards for which it had been nominated, including best picture of the year.

 Russell Crowe - Actor. Movies include The Gladiator (Oscar for Best Actor) and A Beautiful Mind. Now he lives in Australia. Sam Neil - Actor. Movies include The Dish, Jurassic Park. Anna Helene Paquin Actress. The Piano (Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), X-Men. Keisha Castle-Hughes Actress. Movies include Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar, as Queen of Naboo.