New Zealand Facts in BriefAll important New Zealand facts are composed in a list of facts and figures. For those who are keen on more background information than just New Zealand facts, please follow the links. Country Name: New Zealand Abbreviation: NZ New Zealand’s name given by the Maori people is Aotearoa commonly translated into English as The Land of the Long White Cloud. Today’s official name derived from Nova Zeelandia. A Dutch cartographer chose this name after a province in his home country. Later the well known British explorer converted it into the English term New Zealand. Administrative Divisions: Regions (16) and Territory (1): 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast Capital: Wellington with a population of 169,000 is the capital furthest south in the world Government type: parliamentary democracy
Read more about the flag of New Zealand. Map References: New Zealand is an island in the Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia. As part of Oceania its geographical coordinates are 41 00 S / 174 00 E. Land Area: comparable to the size of Colorado it covers 268,676 square km. Split into two islands North Island covers an area from 115,690 square km; the South Island slightly bigger stretches over 152,356 square km. These Islands are included in the total land area Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands. Length of Coastline: 15,134km Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean 0m Highest Point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754m, South Island Longest River: the Waikato, North Island Largest Lake: Lake Tupo, North Island Climate: ranges from subtropical in the north to temperate with sharp regional contrasts, predominantly mountainous with some large coastal plains
Read more about the New Zealand forest around West Auckland. Population: 4,266,600 (June 2008 est.), About 80% of the population lives in cities. In Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city live 1.3 million people. Auckland is also considered the gateway to New Zealand.
You can read about an aspect of Auckland history here.
Age Average: 34.2 years Ethnic Distribution: European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census). Population Growth Rate: 0.95% Read more about the population of New Zealand and its cultural diversity. Famous Proverbs - Famous Sayings from New Zealand Transport The major means of transport in New Zealand are automobiles, planes and trains. Roadways: total 92,931 km Paved: 59,783 km Unpaved: 33,148 km(2003) Airports: 121 (2007); runway over 3km: 2; and runway over 2.5km: 1; runway over 1.5km: 11; runway over 914m 26; runway under 914m: 1; with unpaved runways: 80 Railways: 4,128 km Ports and Terminals: Auckland, Lyttelton, Marsden Point, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei Currency: New Zealand Dollar, abr. NZD or NZ$, currency converter Read more on New Zealand money. Time: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Daylight Saving: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March National holiday: Waitangi Day on 6th February, ANZAC Day 25th April Official Languages: English, Maori, Sign Language --Chinese proverb-- Read more famous quotations about travel here.
The best travelling time is from September to April, the New Zealand seasons spring, summer, and autumn. For winter sport lovers the best time is from July to September the winter months. Read more on New Zealand facts when the best time to travel is. Return from New Zealand facts to homepage.
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