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New Zealand Country Guide
Explore New Zealand in Oceania
New Zealand with the capital city Wellington is located in Oceania (Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean). It covers some 268,680 square kilometres (about the size of Colorado) with 4,154,000 citizens.
The terrain features predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains. The average density of population is approximately 15 per km². The notable climate conditions in New Zealand can be described as temperate with sharp regional contrasts. Potential natural disasters are earthquakes are common, though usually not severe or volcanic activity.
To reach someone in New Zealand dial +64 prior to a number. There are 1,870,000 installed telephones. And there are 4,700,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".nz". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of New Zealand
Blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation.
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. 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.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Oceania Neighbours: Capital: Wellington |
| Size | 268,680 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 103,737 square miles (mi² or sqmi) about the size of Colorado |
| Population | 4,154,000 |
| Currency | Name Dollar, Currency Code:NZD |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .nz |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +64 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 4,700,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 1,870,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 267,710 (sq km) | 76 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,365,113 | 125 |
| Population growth rate | 0.85 (%) | 130 |
| Birth rate | 13.48 (births/1,000 population) | 148 |
| Death rate | 7.25 (deaths/1,000 population) | 121 |
| Net migration rate | 2.24 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 39 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 15.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 144 |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.65 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 184 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.82 (years) | 25 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.06 (children born/woman) | 120 |
| Health expenditures | 10.10 (% of GDP) | 30 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 151 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 2,500 | 132 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 100 | 148 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 28.30 (%) | 34 |
| Education expenditures | 7.20 (% of GDP) | 22 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 17.30 (%) | 77 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 134,200,000,000 | 64 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.50 (%) | 125 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 30,200 | 50 |
| Labor force | 2,402,000 | 114 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.50 (%) | 68 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 36.20 | 84 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 19.50 (% of GDP) | 103 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 36.90 (% of GDP) | 57 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -5.90 (% of GDP) | 169 |
| Public debt | 41.80 (% of GDP) | 86 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.20 (%) | 15 |
| Central bank discount rate | 5.00 (%) | 68 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 6.11 (%) | 138 |
| Stock of narrow money | 26,940,000,000 | 61 |
| Stock of broad money | 154,600,000,000 | 46 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 233,800,000,000 | 39 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 36,300,000,000 | 56 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 1.50 (%) | 126 |
| Current account balance | -6,803,000,000 | 169 |
| Exports | 37,730,000,000 | 63 |
| Imports | 35,650,000,000 | 62 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 18,330,000,000 | 59 |
| Debt - external | 90,230,000,000 | 51 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 75,770,000,000 | 45 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 59,080,000,000 | 33 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 43,400,000,000 (kWh) | 55 |
| Electricity - consumption | 38,960,000,000 (kWh) | 54 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 9,482,000 (kW) | 59 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 30.00 (% of total installed capacity) | 180 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 56.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 36 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 13.30 (% of total installed capacity) | 14 |
| Crude oil - production | 49,730 (bbl/day) | 59 |
| Crude oil - exports | 45,180 (bbl/day) | 48 |
| Crude oil - imports | 90,840 (bbl/day) | 51 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 96,100,000 (bbl) | 73 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 106,000 (bbl/day) | 73 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 148,900 (bbl/day) | 68 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 2,883 (bbl/day) | 103 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 46,780 (bbl/day) | 71 |
| Natural gas - production | 4,367,000,000 (cu m) | 52 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 4,278,000,000 (cu m) | 64 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 27,640,000,000 (cu m) | 74 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 39,580,000 (Mt) | 70 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 1,880,000 | 60 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 4,820,000 | 108 |
| Internet hosts | 3,026,000 | 34 |
| Internet users | 3,400,000 | 62 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 122 | 47 |
| Railways | 4,128 (km) | 41 |
| Roadways | 93,911 (km) | 46 |
| Merchant marine | 15 | 101 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.50 (% of GDP) | 101 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands The New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands consist of five island groups (the Snares, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island) in the Southern Ocean south-east of New Zealand. The islands, lying between the Antarctic and Su ... | 1998 |
| Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand The landscape in this park, situated in south-west New Zealand, has been shaped by successive glaciations into fjords, rocky coasts, towering cliffs, lakes and waterfalls. Two-thirds of the park is covered with southern beech and podocarps, some of w ... | 1990 |
| Tongariro National Park In 1993 Tongariro became the first property to be inscribed on the World Heritage List under the revised criteria describing cultural landscapes. The mountains at the heart of the park have cultural and religious significance for the Maori people and ... | 1990 |