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Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
(1952)
Governor-General: Anand Satyanand
(2006)
Prime Minister: Helen Clark
(1999)
Current government officials
Land area: 103,734 sq mi (268,671 sq km);
total area: 103,737 sq mi (268,680 sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 4,115,771
(growth rate: 1.0%); birth rate: 13.6/1000; infant mortality rate:
5.7/1000; life expectancy: 79.0; density per sq mi: 40
Capital (2003 est.):
Wellington, 342,500 (metro. area), 165,100
(city proper)
Largest cities: Auckland, 369,300
(metro. area), 359,500 (city proper); Christchurch, 334,100
Monetary unit: New Zealand dollar
Languages:
English, Maori (both official)
Ethnicity/race:
European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Pacific Islander
4.4%, Asian 5.7%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8%
(2001)
Religions:
Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 12%, Presbyterian
11%, Methodist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Baptist 1%, other Christian 9%,
none 26% (2001)
Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007
est.): $111.7 billion; per capita $26,400. Real growth rate:
3%. Inflation: 2.4%. Unemployment: 3.6%. Arable
land: 6%. Agriculture: wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses,
fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, lamb and mutton, dairy products;
fish. Labor force: 2.23 million: services 74%, industry 19%,
agriculture 7% (2006). Industries: food processing, wood and
paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment,
banking and insurance, tourism, mining. Natural resources:
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold,
limestone. Exports: $28.12 billion (2007 est.): dairy
products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery.
Imports: $29.83 billion (2007 est.): machinery and equipment,
vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics.
Major trading partners: Australia, U.S., Japan, China, UK,
Singapore, Germany (2006).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines
in use: 1.729 million (2005); mobile cellular: 3.53 million (2005).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998).
Radios: 3.75 million (1997). Television broadcast
stations: 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650
low-power repeaters) (1997). Televisions: 1.926 million
(1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1.433 million
(2007). Internet users: 3.2 million (2006).
Transportation: Railways: total: 4,128
km (2006). Highways: total: 92,931 km; paved: 59,783 km
(includes 171 km of expressways); unpaved: 33,148 km (2003).
Waterways: 1,609 km; of little importance to transportation.
Ports and harbors: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga,
Wellington. Airports: 121 (2007).
International disputes: territorial
claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency).
Major sources and definitions
Cook Islands and Overseas Territories
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Geography
New Zealand, about 1,250 mi (2,012 km) southeast of Australia, consists
of two main islands and a number of smaller outlying islands so scattered
that they range from the tropical to the antarctic. The country is the
size of Colorado. New Zealand's two main components are the North Island
and the South Island, separated by Cook Strait. The North Island (44,281
sq mi; 115,777 sq km) is 515 mi (829 km) long and volcanic in its
south-central part. This area contains many hot springs and beautiful
geysers. South Island (58,093 sq mi; 151,215 sq km) has the Southern Alps
along its west coast, with Mount Cook (12,316 ft; 3754 m) the highest
point. Other inhabited islands include Stewart Island, the Chatham
Islands, and Great Barrier Island. The largest of the uninhabited outlying
islands are the Auckland Islands (234 sq mi; 606 sq km), Campbell Island
(44 sq mi; 114 sq km), the Antipodes Islands (24 sq mi; 62 sq km), and the
Kermadec Islands (13 sq mi; 34 sq km).
Government
Parliamentary democracy.
History
Maoris were the first inhabitants of New Zealand, arriving on the
islands in about 1000. Maori oral history maintains that the Maoris came
to the island in seven canoes from other parts of Polynesia. In 1642, New
Zealand was explored by Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator. British captain
James Cook made three voyages to the islands, beginning in 1769. Britain
formally annexed the islands in 1840.
The Treaty of Waitangi (Feb. 6, 1840) between the British and several
Maori tribes promised to protect Maori land if the Maoris recognized
British rule. Encroachment on the land by British settlers was relentless,
however, and skirmishes between the two groups intensified.
From the outset, the country has been in the forefront in instituting
social welfare legislation. New Zealand was the world's first country to
give women the right to vote (1893). It adopted old-age pensions (1898); a
national child welfare program (1907); social security for the elderly,
widows, and orphans, along with family benefit payments; minimum wages; a
40-hour workweek and unemployment and health insurance (1938); and
socialized medicine (1941).
New Zealand fought with the Allies in both world wars as well as in
Korea. In 1999, it became part of the UN peacekeeping force sent to East
Timor.
In recent years, New Zealand has introduced extremely liberal social
policies. In June 2003, parliament legalized prostitution and in Dec.
2004, same-sex unions were recognized. In 2005, Helen Clark was
reelected.
See also New Zealand dependencies.
See
also Encyclopedia: New Zealand.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
New Zealand
Statistics New Zealand www.stats.govt.nz/ .
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education,
Inc. All rights reserved.
More on New Zealand from Fact Monster:
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