New Zealand

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Border Countries:

Terrain:

predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Geography:

about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world

Capital:

Wellington

About New Zealand

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.

Population:

4,173,460 (July 2008 est.)

Language:

English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)

Religion:

Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)

Phone Service:

excellent domestic and international systems

Currency:

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Climate:

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Natural Hazards:

earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity