New Zealand – country information

Country name	New Zealand
Official name	New Zealand
Capital	Wellington
Continent	Australia and Oceania
Area	270,534 km2
Population	4,518,330 (2014)
Foundation of a state	9/26/1907
The highest mountains	Mount Cook 3764m (South Island), Ruapehu 2797m (North Island)
The largest lakes	Taupo 606 km2
State system	a constitutional monarchy with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Auckland 895,000 (conurbation), Christchurch 310,000, Wellington (capital city) 260,000
Official language	English, Maori
Ethnicity/National Composition	European 73.8%, Maori 9.6%, Polynesian 3.6%, half-breed 4.5%, other 8.5%
Religious affiliation	Anglicans 24.3%, Presbyterians 18%, no denomination 16.4%, Roman Catholics 15.2%, Methodists 4.7%, other 21.4%
Currency	1 New Zealand dollar () = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$29,481 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	78.81 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 7.3%, mining 1.3%, industry 20.2%, construction 4.2%, services 67%

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, New Zealand is an island nation located in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean about 1,600 km southeast of Australia. It has several small overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean (eg Tokelau, Niue and the Cook Islands).

Surface

The backbone of the South Island is the high crystalline mountain range of the Southern Alps; the highest peaks lie in its center and the highest height of 3,764 meters is reached by Mount Cook. Its eastern flank is covered by the Tasman Glacier, the largest of New Zealand’s many glaciers. In the southwest, where the mountains reach the sea, flooded valleys have created steep fjords. This region called Fjordland is today the largest national park. The only flat area extends to the east of the island; it consists of several floodplains.

The mountains of the North Island are mainly of volcanic origin, 1000 m lower and far more rugged. In the center and east of the island there are areas of strong geothermal activity: there are geysers, hot springs, and several volcanoes, two of which are constantly active. The foothills, river terraces and scattered lowlands of the North Island cover the most fertile soils in the country. The capital Wellington and the largest city Auckland in the north were built around a large natural harbor. There are many lakes of glacial origin on the South Island, and of volcanic origin on the North Island. The longest river in the Waikato Islands flows from the large crater lake Taupo.

Country data

Location: South Pacific Ocean

Time zone: CET + 11

Total area: 267,710 km²

Land area: 267,700 km²

Water area: 10 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 15,134 km

Capital: Wellington

Regions: 17
Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Electric current: 240 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 64 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mount Cook 3,754 m

Population

Population: approx. 4.4 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.8% per year

Population density (inh. Per km²): 16

Life expectancy: 79 (male), 83 (female)

Official language: English, Maori

Climate

Although the climate in New Zealand is moderate, it is cooler and subject to greater fluctuations than, for example, in Central Europe.

The seasons are also opposite to those in Central Europe.

Precipitation must be expected all year round.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Division: 1 dollar = 100 cents

ATMs: Available in major cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted by many hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

There is an import ban on plants, animals and all kinds of food.

Customs forms are handed out on the plane in which all items carried must be listed.

For valuable items, customs can require a deposit to be deposited, which will be paid back on re-export.

Travel advice

There is currently no country-specific safety notice for New Zealand.

Economy

Although the manufacturing industry has developed strongly in the last few decades, agriculture is still very important.

The tourism industry has meanwhile become the largest source of foreign currency and can record annual growth.

Industries: mining, finance, wood processing, agriculture, engineering, papermaking, textiles, tourism, insurance

Natural resources: iron ore, natural gas, gold, wood, limestone, coal, hydropower

Land use:

• Usable land: 9%
• Grain cultivation: 5%
• Pasture area: 50%
• Forests: 28%
• other: 8%

Plants

Many of the plant species that grow in New Zealand are only found there. There are around 2,000 different plants in total.

In order to protect the remaining forest, national parks have been set up and state programs for reforestation have been launched.

Animals

Most of the animal species present in New Zealand did not originally come from there, but were brought with them by humans in the course of settlement. There are hares, red deer, pigs, goats and the possum, among others.

In the sea around the island there is almost everything the sea has to offer, from the smallest fish to the shark.