New Zealand Facts in Brief

general facts about New Zealand

All important New Zealand facts are composed in a list of facts and figures. For those who are keen on detailed background information than just New Zealand facts, please follow the links.

Country Name: New Zealand

Abbreviation: NZ

Capital: Wellington capital of New Zealand is with a population of 169,000 the capital furthest south in the world

Largest City: Auckland City

Government type: parliamentary democracy.

The New Zealand Flag carries in its symbolic elements of the land, government and people.

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

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Geographic New Zealand facts

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.

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Length of Coastline:

15,134km; Get to know West Auckland beaches.

Lowest Point: 

Pacific Ocean 0m

Highest Point: 

Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754m, South Island

Longest River:

the Waikato, North Island

Largest Lake:

Lake Taupo, North Island

New Zealand climate:

ranges from subtropical in the north to temperate with sharp regional contrasts, predominantly mountainous with some large coastal plains

New Zealand facts about the population

Population:

4,367,700 (November 2010 est.)

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Age Structure:

• 0-14 years: 20.7%
• 15-64 years: 66.5%
• 65 years and over: 12.8%

Age Average: 

36.8 years

Ethnic Distribution: 

European 56.8%, Maori 7.4%, Asian 8%, Pacific islander 4.6%, other 13.5%, mixed 9.7% (2006 census).

Population Growth Rate: 

0.901% (2010est.)

"Ask me what is the greatest thing in the world,
I will reply:
It is people, it is people, it is people!"

Famous Proverbs - Famous Sayings from New Zealand

Facts about New Zealand travel and transportation

The major means of transport in New Zealand are automobiles, planes, and trains. Find out how it shapes your New Zealand travel!

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

Read New Zealand fun facts.
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Some miscellaneous New Zealand facts:

Currency:

New Zealand Dollar, abr. NZD or NZ$, New Zealand money and currency converter.

Telephone System:

Excellent domestic and international service with the country code -64

Time:

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Daylight Saving:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in September; ends the first Sunday in April

National holiday: 

Waitangi Day 6th February, celebration of the treaty of Waitangi

ANZAC Day 25th April

Official Languages:

English , Maori language, Sign Language

The Best Time to travel New Zealand is:

From September to April, these are the New Zealand seasons spring, summer, and autumn.

For winter sport lovers the best time is from July to September the winter months.