New Zealand
New Zealand is a Commonwealth country in Oceania, in the South Pacific.
New Zealand is situated between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean and comprises the two large islands of North Island and South Island, some smaller islands that are inhabited, such as Stewart and Chatham Islands, and a large number of uninhabited islets.
Environment
Location
New Zealand is located on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, separated from the south-eastern coast of the island-continent of Australia by nearly three thousand kilometres of the Tasman Sea. It lies at a latitude of around 40 degrees south of the equator, and a longitude of around 179 degrees east of Greenwich. Consequently, its time zone is twelve hours ahead of UTC from April to October, and thirteen hours ahead from October to April, when daylight saving is in effect.
Geography
Flora and Fauna
New Zealand has no native land mammals, though there are three species of native bat, Chalinolobus tuberculata, the long-tailed bat, and Mystacina robusta and M. tuberculata, two closely related species collectively known as the short-tailed bat.[1]
New Zealand's isolated location means that its native wildlife is largely endemic to the country. New Zealand has a great many native bird species, including the kiwi, the flightless bird whose name became a nickname first for New Zealand military personel in the World Wars and then for New Zealanders in general. Other native New Zealand birds include the tui and the kaka. Extinct birds include several species of moa and Haast's eagle that preyed upon them.[2] New Zealand also possesses a plethora of native reptiles, such as the tuatara, and insects, including the weta, a large beetle.
Native trees include the pohutukawa and kowhai.
History
New Zealand was historically one of the last parts of the world to become inhabited, by the Maori, the first of whom arrived by ocean-going canoe in around the year 1300. In the early twentieth century it was widely believed that the Moriori of the Chatham Islands represented a previous population that was driven out of New Zealand by the Maori, but this is now regarded as an attempt by European settlers to justify their own mistreatment of the Maori.[3]
New Zealand first came to the attention of the West in 1642 when the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman first arrived at the South Island. Tasman named the new land, which he believed to be part of a large southern continent, 'Staten Landt' after the Dutch States-General. Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
Culture
Language
English, Maori, and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages.
Ethnic Groups
The majority of New Zealanders are Pakeha (white New Zealanders), with a sizable Maori minority. Other significant ethnic minorities include Pacific islanders and people of Japanese, Chinese and South East Asian descent.
References
- ↑ http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/bats/
- ↑ http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/
- ↑ King M (2000) Moriori: A People Rediscovered ISBN 0140103910
Notes and Links
Further Reading
External Links
- New Zealand Government Online The official gateway to New Zealand's government services
- Statistics New Zealand New Zealand's official statistics agency
- [1] Te Ara - the encyclopedia of New Zealand