Map of New Zealand | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: The Polynesian Maoris reached New Zealand in about the 800 AD. The British proclaimed their sovereignty over the islands in 1840 and began settlement that same year. 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 number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.


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Location: Oceania islands in the South Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 S 174 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 268,680 km²
Note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Water: NA km²
Land: NA km²
Comparative: about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 15,134 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
Territorial sea: 12 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain: predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Cook 3,764 m

Natural resources: natural gas iron ore sand coal timber hydropower gold limestone

Land use
Arable land: 5.8%
Permanent crops: 6.44%
Other: 87.76% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,850 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes are common though usually not severe; volcanic activity

Geography
Note: about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world


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Population: 3,908,037 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 1.12% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: New Zealander
Adjective: New Zealand

Ethnic groups: New Zealand European 74.5% Maori 9.7% other European 4.6% Pacific Islander 3.8% Asian and others 7.4%

Languages: English (official) Maori (official)

Religions: Anglican 24% Presbyterian 18% Roman Catholic 15% Methodist 5% Baptist 2% other Protestant 3% unspecified or none 33% (1986)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.2% (male 443,921; female 422,804)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,299,973; female 1,290,097)
65 years and over: 11.5% (male 196,640; female 254,602) (2002 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.12% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 14.23 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 7.55 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.48 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 6.18 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.15 years
Female: 81.27 years (2002 est.)
Male: 75.17 years

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.06% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1200 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99% (1980 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: New Zealand
Abbreviation: NZ

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Wellington

Administrative divisions: 16 regions; Auckland Bay of Plenty Canterbury Gisborne Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Northland Otago Southland Taranaki Tasman Waikato Manawatu-Wanganui Wellington West Coast

Dependent areas: (1) Cook Islands Niue Tokelau

Independence: 26 September 1907 (from UK)

National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand) 6 February (1840)

Constitution: consists of a series of legal documents including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter

Legal system: based on English law with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001)
Head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA September 2002)
Cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 27 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NZLP 52, NP 27, NZFP 13, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 9, UF 8, other 2

Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Alliance (a coalition of the New Labor Party Democratic Party New Zealand Liberal Party and Mana Motuhake) [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [William (Bill) English]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; United Future or UF [leader NA]; United New Zealand or UNZ [Peter DUNNE]

International organization participation: ABEDA ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986) APEC ARF (dialogue partner) AsDB ASEAN (dialogue partner) Australia Group C CCC CP EBRD ESCAP FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO ITU NAM (guest) NSG OECD OPCW PCA Sparteca SPC SPF UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMOP UNTAET UNTSO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD
In the us consulates general: Los Angeles, New York
In the us fax: [1] (202) 667-5,227
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 328-4,800
In the us chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS
From the us embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP 96,531-1001
From the us telephone: [64] (4) 462-6,000
From the us fax: [64] (4) 478-1701
From the us consulates general: Auckland

Flag description: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Since 1984 the government has accomplished major economic restructuring transforming New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder) broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector and contained inflationary pressures. While per capita incomes have been rising however they remain below the level of the four largest EU economies and there is some government concern that New Zealand is not closing the gap. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth and it has been affected by the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus far the New Zealand economy has been relatively resilient achieving about 3% growth in 2001 but the New Zealand business cycle tends to lag the US cycle by about six months so the worst of the downturn may not hit until mid-2002.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.1% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $19,500 (2001 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 8%
Industry: 23%
Services: 69% (1999)

Agriculture products: wheat barley potatoes pulses fruits vegetables; wool beef dairy products; fish

Industries: food processing wood and paper products textiles machinery transportation equipment banking and insurance tourism mining

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 1.92 million (2001 est.)
By occupation services: 65%
By occupation industry: 25%
By occupation agriculture: 10% (1995) (1995)

Unemployment rate: 5.5% (2001 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 0%
Highest 10: 30% (1991 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $16.7 billion
Expenditures: $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.6% (2001 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $14.2 billion (2001 est.)
Commodities: dairy products meat wood and wood products fish machinery
Partners: Australia 20.4% US 14.5% Japan 13.5% UK 5.4% South Korea China (2000)

Imports: $12.5 billion (2001 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment vehicles and aircraft petroleum electronics textiles plastics
Partners: Australia 22.5% US 17.5% Japan 11% UK 4% China Germany (2000)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $31.1 billion (2001 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.3535 (January 2002) 2.3776 (2001) 2.1863 (2000) 1.8886 (1999) 1.8632 (1998) 1.5083 (1997)


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Electricity
Production: 35.823 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 27%
Production by source hydro: 66%
Production by source other: 7% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 33.315 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.92 million (2000)
Mobile cellular: 2.2 million (2000)

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
Domestic: NA
International: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .nz
Service providers isps: 36 (2000)
Users: 2.06 million (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $515.6 million (2002 est.)
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (FY2001/02)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 106 (2001)
With paved runways total: 46
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 28
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With unpaved runways total: 67
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 26
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 39 (2002)

Heliports: 1 (2002)

Pipelines: petroleum products 160 km; natural gas 1000 km; liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 150 km

Railways
Total: 3,908 km
Narrow gauge: 3,908 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2001)

Roadways

Waterways
Note: of little importance in satisfying total transportation requirements

Merchant marine
Total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 68,427 GRT/106,627 DWT
Note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1 (2002 est.)
Ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs