General Information

Comparable in size and/or shape to Great Britain, Colorado or Japan, New Zealand has a population of only 4 million - making it one of the world's least crowded countries. It is a haven for those seeking peace, rejuvenation and relaxation as well as a playground for thrill seekers and adventurers.

Geography

New Zealand is situated in the South Pacific Ocean, between latitude 34'S and 47'S. The country runs roughly north south with mountain ranges down much of its length. Its two main islands (North and South) cover 266,200 sq km (103,735 sq miles). View a New Zealand Map (PDF format) and distances for North and South Island.

New Zealand's separation from other land masses about 100 million years ago allowed many ancient plants and animals to survive and evolve in isolation. Complementing our unique flora and fauna is a landscape that contains an unrivalled variety of landforms. In a couple of days drive it is possible to see everything from mountain ranges to sandy beaches, lush rainforests, glaciers, fiords and volcanos. New Zealand regions.

Ecology

About a quarter of New Zealand is forested.The characteristic forest is a temperate, evergreen rain forest with giant tree ferns, vines and epiphytes and the giant kauri, among the largest trees in the world, now restricted to small forest pockets.

Because of the lack of predators birds had no need to fly and New Zealand has 3 unique flightless birds - the kiwi, the weka and the kakapo, the world's largest parrot. The native parrot or kea, capable of flight, is renowned for its fearlessness of humans and cheeky personality.

Society

New Zealand has a diverse multi-cultural population of 4 million people with the majority being of British descent. New Zealand's indigenous Maori make up around 14 percent of the population. English is the common and everyday language. Being a multi-cultural society you may hear many other languages spoken including Maori which is also an official language.

The Maori were New Zealand's first settlers. About 1000 years ago they made an epic journey from the legendary Hawaiki with the great explorer Kupe who legend says discovered New Zealand and named it 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 1769, over a 125 years later, Captain James Cook claimed it for Britain and produced a map of the country.

The Treaty of Waitangi is the nations founding document. Signed by leading Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown at Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, on 6 February 1840.

Economy - New Zealand is an independent nation and a member of the British Commonwealth with a well-developed and stable economy. The Government structure is based on the British parliamentary system.