New Zealand
Aotearoa (Māori)
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Anthem:
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Location of New Zealand within the Realm of New Zealand
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Capital |
Wellington 41°17′S 174°27′E / 41.283°S 174.450°E |
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Largest city | Auckland | ||||
Official languages |
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Ethnic groups (2013) |
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Demonym |
New Zealander Kiwi (informal) |
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Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | ||||
• Monarch
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Elizabeth II | ||||
Dame Patsy Reddy | |||||
Bill English | |||||
Dame Sian Elias | |||||
Legislature |
Parliament (House of Representatives) |
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Independence from the United Kingdom | |||||
7 May 1856 | |||||
• Dominion
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26 September 1907 | ||||
25 November 1947 | |||||
Area | |||||
• Total
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268,021 km2 (103,483 sq mi) (76th) | ||||
• Water (%)
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1.6 | ||||
Population | |||||
• 2017 estimate
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4,756,510 (123rd) | ||||
• 2013 census
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4,242,048 | ||||
• Density
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17.5/km2 (45.3/sq mi) (205th) | ||||
GDP (PPP) | 2016 estimate | ||||
• Total
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$173.2 billion (67th) | ||||
• Per capita
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$36,950 | ||||
GDP (nominal) | 2016 estimate | ||||
• Total
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$169.9 billion | ||||
• Per capita
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$36,254 | ||||
Gini (2014) | 33.0 medium |
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HDI (2014) |
0.913 very high · 9th |
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Currency | New Zealand dollar ($) (NZD) | ||||
Time zone | NZST(UTC+12) | ||||
• Summer (DST)
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NZDT (UTC+13) | ||||
Date format | dd/mm/yyyy | ||||
Drives on the | left | ||||
Calling code | +64 | ||||
ISO 3166 code | NZ | ||||
Internet TLD | .nz |
New Zealand i/njuːˈziːlənd/ (Māori: Aotearoa [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—that of the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu—and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.