ABOUT NEW ZEALAND - brief facts
New Zealand has been described as 'the youngest country in the world'. Originally settled by Polynesian migrants about 1000 years ago, European immigration commenced in the 18th century. About 20% of the country's citizens were born overseas.
NZ's population is around 4.25 million and, according to Statistics NZ, is growing by one person every 10.6 minutes. Approximately 2/3rds of the population live in the North Island, half of these live in the Auckland region. The capital is Wellington. Use the links at right to find out some more about NZ cities and districts.
NZ is a land which boasts a wide variety of scenery, from fiords in the south to lush sub-tropical forests, thermal areas and mountains. It consists of two main islands (imaginatively named the North Island and the South Island ... other early names, including New Leinster and New Ulster did not catch on). If you are interested in antique maps of New Zealand, please have a look at our associate website.
New Zealand is an independent member of the British Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth is our Head of State, represented in NZ by the Governor General. Our parliamentary system is modelled on the British system, although there is only one "house".
The unit of currency is the New Zealand Dollar. In May 2008 the dollar was worth about $US0.78 and about 40 British pence. <Currency Converter> <Reserve Bank of NZ >
The country's symbols are the silver fern and the kiwi, a nocturnal flightless bird.
Our climate varies from sub-tropical in the north to temperate in the south. Our climate is heavily influenced by our maritime situation and the weather can change quickly. The warmest months are Dec-Feb and the coolest Jun-Aug. For more details check the NZ Meteorology website here.
New Zealand has 3 official languages - English, Maori and sign language. English is the most commonly used.
In NZ we drive on the left.
Some other interesting (and obscure!) facts about New Zealand
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