Area
270,534 square kilometres (104,454 square miles)
Population
4,009,200 (the 2003 official estimate)
Population
Density
14.8 people per square kilometre
Capital
Wellington.
Population of Wellington
423,765 (the 2003 official estimate).
Although it is not the capital, Auckland is the
largest city in New Zealand and has a population of 1,158,891 (the
2003 official estimate).
Geography:
 New
Zealand is 1,930 kilometres (1,200 miles) southeast
of Australia.
New
Zealand's 3 islands make up a country that is relatively
small, especially compared to it's huge neighbour, Australia.The
country consists of 3 main islands:
North
Island (which is 116,031 square Kilometres/44,800 square miles)
South
Island (which is 153,540 square Kilometres/59,283 square miles)
Stewart Island which is 1,750 square Kilometres(676 square miles),
lies directly south of South Island.
The
north and south islands are separated by Cook Strait.
The
Chatham Islands are located 800 Kilometres (500
miles) east of Christchurch.
Travelling
from the north to the south, the temperature reduces.
New
Zealand only takes up about 20% more land mass than the British
Isles.
2
thirds of the country is mountainous, a region
of deep alpine lakes, swift-flowing rivers,
and dense subtropical forest.
Auckland
(the country's largest city) is positioned on the peninsula
that forms the northern part of the North Island.
The
southern part of the North Island is known for fertile coastal plains
rising up to volcanic peaks.
Around
Rotorua, 240 Kilometres (149 miles) south of Auckland, there is
thermal activity in the form of hissing fumaroles,
silica terraces, springs of hot mineral water, geysers, coloured
craters and pools of boiling mud, which make Rotorua an amazing
world wide tourist attraction.
The
South Island is a larger island, however, only about 1 third of
the population lives there.
The
Southern Alps extend the whole length of the island, culminating
in the country’s highest peak, Mount Cook.
Franz
Josef and Fox glaciers are in the same region as Mount Cook.
There are 4 associated territories of New Zealand:
The
Cook Islands (which are about 3500 Kilometres/2175 miles
northeast of New Zealand)
Niue
(which is 920 Kilometres/570 miles west of the Cook Islands) has
an area of 260 square Kilometres/100 square miles
Tokelau,
three atolls (which is about 960 Kilometres/600 miles northwest
of Niue) has an area of 12 square Kilometres/4 square miles
The
Ross Dependency, which consists of over 700,000 square
Kilometres (270,270 square miles) of the Antarctic.
Government
New Zealand has had a constitutional monarchy since
1907.
The Head of State is HM Queen Elizabeth II, since
1952, and has been represented locally by Governor-General Dame
Silvia Cartwright since 2001.
The Head of Government has been Prime Minister Helen Clark,
since 1999.
Language
English is the main everyday language, however other languages are
also spoken, including Maori. Maori is New Zealand’s second
official language, which is spoken by the native Maori people (who
make up approximately 15% of the population).
Religion
60% of the population is Christian, whilst the other 40% is represented
by Methodist, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian.
Time Zone
Main islands: Greenwich Mean Time +12 (Greenwich Mean Time +13 from
the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March).
Chatham Island: GMT + 12.45 / GMT + 13.45 from the last Sunday in
October to the last Sunday in Marc.
Electricity:
230 volts AC, 50Hz.
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Three-pin plugs are in use.
Many hotels provide 110-volt AC sockets (rated at 20 watts) but
only for electric razors. |
