| Our beautiful country,
New Zealand, is situated in the South Pacific Ocean 1600 km
east of Australia. The size of our physical landmass is similar
to the United Kingdom or Japan. New Zealand is made up of two
main islands, the North Island and the South Island, along with
a number of smaller islands.
New Zealand is an independent state within the Commonwealth
and is one of the world's most urbanised countries. Approximately
30% of the population live in Auckland and almost 50% of the
population live within the 3 largest cities (Auckland, Wellington,
Christchurch). Our stunning landscape is dominated by mountain
ranges and hill country with one of the most striking features
being the Southern Alps. The Alps along with fiords, glaciers,
lakes and coastal plains add to the variety of the South Island
scenery.
The North Island offers the volcanic interior with our largest
lake, Lake Taupo alongside New Zealand's (usually quiet) but
active volcanoes - Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro.
Population - 4 million
Land Mass - 268,021 square km
Population Density - 15 persons per square km
Capital City - Wellington
Largest Cities:
Auckland (population 1.1 million)
Wellington (population 0.35 million)
Christchurch (population 0.34 million)
New Zealand's population continues to grow but it has started
to flatten off quite dramatically in the last 3 years. The
growth rate for the year 2000 was 0.44 % taking the New Zealand
population to 3,842,800.
Auckland is the most populated city with 1.1 million, just
under a third of the New Zealand population. Of the five major
cities, Auckland is showing the strongest population increase
with 7.3% from 1996-2000.
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