New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-west Pacific Ocean. New Zealand belongs to a large island group called Polynesia. The country is situated on two main islands (the North Island and the South Island) and several small islands.

Its total area is 270,692 sq.km. The population of New Zealand is 4,141,000 people. About 85% of the population is classified as Europeans. Most of them are of British descent. About 12 per cent of the country’s population are Maoris.

Maoris were the first people who settled in New Zealand. They came from Polynesian islands located northeast of New Zealand. The country was discovered by Europeans in 1642.

New Zealand is a land of great contrasts and diversity. Active volcanoes, spectacular caves, deep glacier lakes, long sandy beaches, and the spectacular snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps—all contribute to New Zealand's scenic beauty. There are many rivers, lakes and mountains in the country. The highest mountain is Mount Cook (3,764 metres). The chief rivers are the Waikato and the Wairu.

New Zealand has unique vegetation and animal life, much of it developing during the country's prolonged isolation. It is the sole home, for example, of the flightless kiwi (a bird, which became the symbol of new Zealand people).

Less than ¼ of the territory of the country lies below the 200 m contour line. The South Island is significantly more mountainous than the North Island. New Zealand has a temperate, moist ocean climate without seasonal variations in temperature or rainfall.

The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. The city was founded in 1840 and has been the capital since 1865. Now it’s a financial, educational and cultural centre.

New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Like the United Kingdom New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. Officially, the head of the state is the British Queen whose representative, the governor-general, is appointed for a five-year term.

New Zealand has a parliamentary form of government based on the British model. The Parliament consists of one House only, the House of Representatives, the members of which are elected for three-year terms. There are two main parties, National and Labour; the party that commands a majority in the House forms the government. The leader of the governing party becomes the prime minister, who, with ministers responsible for different aspects of government, forms a cabinet.

New Zealand is predominantly an English-speaking country, though both English and Maori are official languages. Virtually all Maori speak English, and about one-third of them also speak Maori. The Maori language is taught at a number of schools.

The largest cities of the country are Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch and others. Moreover, Auckland and Wellington are considered to be the main ports of the country.

New Zealand has one of the highest standards of living in the world. New Zealand is one of the world’s developed countries. The main industries of the country are agriculture, manufacturing and service industries. Paper and steel industries are highly developed too. New Zealand exports wool, meat and butter.

New Zealand draws many thousands of tourists to its shores because of the beauty, diversity, and compactness of its natural attractions.