New Zealand

About

• New Zealand is an island country which is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, consisting of two main landmasses i.e. the North Island and the South Island and 700 small islands.
• Abel Tasman - a Dutchman, was the first European to discover New Zealand. However, then it was colonized by the British and dominated it throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th century.
• The currency of New Zealand is the New Zealand Dollar, Capital city is Wellington and the largest city is Auckland having 1/3rd of the population of New Zealand.
• New Zealand people are referred to as Kiwi internationally, which is derived from the flightless bird “Kiwi”, also the national symbol of New Zealand.

Geography

• New Zealand is an island country, comprising about 700 islands. The two main islands (North Island and South Island) are divided by a 22 km stretch of water called the Cook Strait.
• The country is located 2,500 km southeast of Australia and about 1,000 km from the Pacific Islands. New Zealand's closest neighbors are Fiji and Tonga.
• New Zealand is a diverse and beautiful landscape, comprising active volcanoes, remarkable caves, deep glacier lakes, fertile valleys, astounding Fjords, sandy beaches and snow-capped mountains in the South Alps of the South Island, and an abundance of vegetation and animal life.

Climate

• New Zealand has a temperate climate - winters are fairly cold in the south but mild and temperate in the north.
• The warmest months are December, January and February. The average maximum temperature ranges between 20 - 30ºC.
• The coldest months are June, July and August and the average minimum temperature ranges between 10 - 15ºC

Natural Resources

• New Zealand has coal reserves.
• New Zealand is the 22nd largest producer of Iren and ore
• It is 29th largest producer of gold

Economy

• New Zealand's advanced market economy is ranked 14th in the 2019 Human Development Index and ranks 3rd in the 2020 Index of Economy Freedom.
• New Zealand has a high-income economy with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US$36,254
• New Zealand is almost dependent on International trade, especially in agricultural products. The exports reported 24% of its output making New Zealand at risk of international commodity price and global economic slowdown.
• Recently, tourism has made a huge impact on New Zealand's economy, although this sector has been at risk due to global financial instability.

Demography

• According to February 2021, New Zealand Census, the resident population is 5,112,300.
• The North Island and South Island land masses are similar, approximately two-thirds of the population live in the North Island.

New Zealand States & Provinces