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New Zealand



NEW ZEALAND is well-established as a beautiful country. There are many interesting things to learn about Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand meaning “the land of the long white cloud”).

Geographical Position

New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific ocean.

It is separated from Australia by the Tasman Sea. It consists of two main islands: the South Island, the North Island, and a number of smaller islands. The North Island is long and volcanic in its south central part. New Zealand has many springs and geysers. The South Island has the Southern Alps along its west coast, with Mount Cook the highest point.

New Zealand has more than 50 volcanoes, some are still active today. Snowy peaks, rocky shores, and pastures create a really majestic landscape.

History.

The first settlers of New Zealand were Maoris. The Maori named New Zealand Aotearoa, which is usually translated into English as ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’. The Dutch cartographers called the islands Nova Zeelandia, after the Dutch province of Zeeland.

In 1769, Captain James Cook came to the islands. The British established settlements and signed a treaty with the Maori in 1840. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote. The country became a dominion of Britain in 1907 and gained its independence from Britain in 1947.


Population and Languages

The population of New Zealand, about 4 million people. The official languages are English and Maori. New Zealand English is close to Australian English in pronunciation.

New Zealanders, or «Kiwis» as they are called, have been shaped by their isolation. Today, most Kiwis are no longer farmers, 86 percent of the population in New Zealand live in cities.



Head of the state.

Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of New Zealand and the Head of state but her position is largely symbolic. The Head of Government is the Prime Minister.

New Zealand's government is based on the parliamentary democracy. There are two main parties, National and Labour.

The capital of the country is Wellington.

Climate.

The climate in the country is mild.

As grass grows very quickly, the main industry in New Zealand is agriculture, especially cattle farming, marine fishing, fruit production.

Nature.

Because of its long isolation from the rest of the world, New Zealand has extraordinary flora and fauna. About 80% of the flora in New Zealand occurs only in New Zealand. The varied landscape of New Zealand has made it a popular location for the production of television programmes and films, including ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Last Samurai’.


There is a list of 8 interesting facts about New Zealand to enrich what you know about this country.

1. It is the first country to see the sunrise.

2. First country that gave women the vote in 1873. This was due to Kate Sheppard, an iconic figure in the women’s suffrage movement.

3. They conquered Everest and discovered Proton. Kiwis have a great track record of being experts in the very big and very small. This is proved by the fact that they were the first to conquer Everest and first to discover proton! The two New Zealanders are responsible for the above feats were Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Ernest Rutherford. Interestingly, they are often mistaken for being the British, but they are Kiwis through and through.

4. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

This epic word is actually the name of a 300 metre high hill in the beautiful Hawke’s Bay. What’s so special about it, as you may have guessed, is that it is the longest place name in any English speaking country in the world.

There are 40 syllables in the place name which is a great one to practice to impress the locals. If that’s a bit beyond you, you can use its shortened name of ‘Taumata’.

5. Volcano country

New Zealand is, you could say, slightly precariously placed on what’s known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. Quite a few of them are classified as still being active including the iconic Mt Ruapehu otherwise known as Mt Doom from The Lord of the Rings.

On top of this, the biggest city, Auckland, sits on a large volcanic field of approximately 53 volcanoes. You need not worry though as the last eruption there was about 500 years ago and is most probably unlikely to erupt again.

6.Clearest waters in the world

People often talk about a pristine scenery and clear waters and they’re not just being nice. It’s actually true! The Blue Lake, in the Nelson Lakes National Park, currently holds the record for having the clearest waters in the world. Remarkably it has a visibility range of up to 80 metres. Its Maori name is ‘Rotomairewhenua’ which means ‘Lake of Peaceful Lands’.

7. The insects are big

If you’re a bit adverse, or have a phobia of the creepy crawlies, then New Zealand may not be the place for you. That’s because their insects have a habit of being very big.

One of the best examples of this is the Weta, the largest insect in the world, which has ears on its knees, loves carrots and weighs in at 70g. Another is the Powelliphanta snail which has a carnivorous diet of earthworms (which it sucks up through its mouth), weighs 90g and can live for up to 20 years.

8. Hobbits rule

Unless you’ve been living in an actual shire somewhere, you’ll know the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed in New Zealand by Sir Peter Jackson. It was a massive project that involved 275 days of shooting at 150 locations with 300+ sets. The strange little fact here was that the New Zealanders even had a Minister of the Lord of the Rings in government. The minister’s main responsibility was to make sure they took advantage of the tourism opportunities presented by the films.



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