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New Zealand is a country of Oceania. It consists of two
main islands, the North Island and the South Island, 32
kmapart by the Cook Strait. It also includes other
smaller islands, such as Stewart's and Chatham's
islands. It is 1600 kmfrom Australia, which is the
closest country. It covers an area of 268 680 km2. The
capital is Wellington, with 166 200 inhabitants (2004),
and the other most important cities are Auckland (374
300 inhabitants), Christchurch (339 700 inhabitants),
Manukau (339 600 inhabitants) and North Shore (185 000
inhabitants). On the North Island, the soil is fertile
and there are active volcanoes. The mountainous southern
island is bordered in the southeast and on the coast by
extensive plains. After the plains, snowy peaks of the
Southern Alps appear.
Climate
The climate is maritime temperate, with relatively
abundant and distributed rainfall throughout the year.
Economy
New Zealand's economy depends to a large extent on its
exports, in particular, primary sector production. In
agriculture, with good levels of productivity, the
creation of sheep and cattle deserves reference, which
results in high amounts of wool, meat and milk, and the
production of cereals, apples and kiwis. In the
industrial sector, in addition to dairy products, the
wood industry developed with the production of
paper. The seas also provide a lot of wealth, as they
are abundant in fish and seafood. It also has coal
reserves and in the volcanic areas of the North Island,
geothermal energy is produced. The water courses that
descend from the mountains are used to produce
electricity. The existence of natural gas reserves helps
to reduce oil imports.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is
8.1.
Population
New Zealand's population, which in 2006 was 4,076,140,
descended from groups that were converted to
Christianity incorporating Maori traditions. The birth
and death rates are respectively 13.76% and
7.53%. Average life expectancy is 78.81 years. The value
of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.917 and the
value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is
0.914 (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the
population will be 4 673 000 inhabitants. The main
ethnic groups in New Zealand are white (74%), Maori
(15%), Polynesians (6%) and Asians (5%).
The most important religions are Anglican (21%),
Presbyterian (16%), Catholic (15%) and Methodist
(4%). The official languages are English and Maori.
History
The islands of New Zealand have been inhabited by the
Maori since the 10th century, when Dutch navigator Abel
Tasman discovered them in 1642. More than a century
later, they were visited by James Cook, who explored
their coasts. It was annexed by the British in 1840, and
the Treaty of Waitangi was signed with 500 Maori chiefs
according to which the goods of the indigenous
populations would be respected. As the Treaty was not
respected, the Maori population revolted violently in
1845-48 and 1860-70. Britain came to be considered the
South Pacific. Although it ceased to be a colony in
1907, it only began to develop an independent foreign
policy 40 years later. New Zealand participated
alongside Britain in the First World War and, later, in
the Second World War.
New Zealand has expressed its condemnation of French
nuclear tests in the Pacific and in 1985 prevented ships
with nuclear weapons or powered by nuclear energy from
entering their ports, a policy that caused a climate of
tension with the United States of America.
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| 1UpTravel.com - Maps of New Zealand |
| Browse a collection of political and shaded relief maps
of the islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of
Australia. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/new-zealand.html |
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| Christchurch City Council - Key Map |
| View this large scale clickable street map of
Christchurch. Includes a street name search tool. |
| http://www.ccc.govt.nz/maps/Wises/ |
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| Cromwell - Regional and Local Maps |
| Detailed map of Cromwell streets and the Central Otago
region. |
| http://www.cromwell.org.nz/maps.htm |
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| Environmental Performance Indicators Programme - Hill
Country |
| View these maps to determine areas of the country
susceptible to erosion. |
| http://www.environment.govt.nz/land/hill/ |
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| Gazza's Interactive Maps |
| Use these New Zealand maps to plot your journey or to
view the longitude or latitude in any location. |
| http://www.gazza.co.nz/interactivemaps/ |
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| Hutt City - Street Maps |
| View these detailed street maps of the Hutt Valley
Cities. Includes details of shopping centres and where
to park. |
| http://www.huttcity.info/about/neighbourhoods/streetmaps/ |
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| Lake Wanaka |
| Locate streets on this large street map of Wanaka. |
| http://www.lakewanaka.co.nz/images/Streetmap4.jpg |
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| Land Information New Zealand - Services and Projects |
| Large downloadable raster maps covering New Zealand and
offshore islands. |
| http://www.linz.govt.nz/services/topo-hydro/pages/topo/topog |
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| MapZone |
| Locate fast food outlets, ATM machines, and petrol
stations on this clickable New Zealand map. |
| http://www.mapzone.co.nz/home.jsp |
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| New Zealand - Atlapedia Online |
| Political and physical maps of this island nation show
population centers, geographic features and water ways.
Stamped with a watermark. |
| http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/newzeal.htm |
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| New Zealand - Merriam-Webster Atlas |
| Detailed color map of this Oceania island country also
includes facts, illustration of the nation's flag, and a
historical summary. |
| http://www.m-w.com/maps/new_zealand.html |
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| New Zealand - National Geographic |
| Satellite imaging and political map-making create a
zoomable map of this Oceania island country, with
cities, rivers and topography. |
| http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html?i |
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| New Zealand Travel Maps |
| Navigate around North and South Islands of New Zealand
by using these maps to take a tour of the various
regions and cities. |
| http://www.nz-travel.com/map_lib/map_lib.html |
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| NZGO - Map of New Zealand |
| Detailed map showing major towns, cities, and roads. |
| http://www.govt.nz/aboutnz/nzmap.php3 |
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| NZMaps |
| Interactive street map covers the greater Auckland area,
including Helensville, Pukekohe and Waiheke Island. |
| http://www.nzmaps.co.nz/ |
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| Tararua - Pahiatua |
| View this small scale street map of Pahiatua. |
| http://www.tararua.net/images/towns/pahiatuamap.gif |
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| Tourism Auckland - Maps |
| View maps of the central city area, Auckland Airport,
and the greater region. |
| http://www.aucklandnz.com/maps.shtml |
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| Transit New Zealand - State Highway Network North Island |
| View the different roads administered by Transit in the
North Island. |
| http://www.transit.govt.nz/road_users/images/north_island.jp |
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| Transit New Zealand - State Highway Network South Island |
| View the roads administered by this government funded
roading body in the South Island. Includes details of
regional boundaries. |
| http://www.transit.govt.nz/road_users/images/south_island.jp |
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| TravelPlanner - New Zealand Maps |
| Downloadable PDF maps of major New Zealand tourism
regions. |
| http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/maps/ |
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| Wises - Street Search |
| Locate streets in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch
with these zoomable maps. |
| http://www.wises.co.nz/street_search.asp |
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