New Zealand Geography
- New Zealand is in the South Pacific Ocean
- New Zealand is made up of two main islands, called North and South Islands
- The total land area of New Zealand is 270,000 square kilometers (104,000 square miles) meaning it is slightly larger than the UK, but could fit into Australia 28 times and fit into the United States or Canada around 34 times.
- The closest country to New Zealand is Australia (1343 miles away)
- New Zealand is 3 and a half hour flight from Sydney Australia, and a 10 hour flight from Hong Kong, Singapore or Tokyo to Auckland.
New Zealand Weather
- As New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are completely opposite to countries north of the equator. Winter in New Zealand lasts from June until August and summer is between December and February.
- The overall climate is fairly mild due to NZ being surrounded by sea. . The temperate ranges from 20–30°C (68–86°F) in summer, and from 5–15°C (41-59°F) in winter.
New Zealand Population
- 75% of New Zealand’s population live on the north Island, the majority around Auckland.
- The population of New Zealand is just over four million people. All are either immigrants or descended from migrants from over 145 countries.
New Zealand Language
- English is the main spoken written language
- The Maori language is officially recognised and is becoming increasingly popular in NZ – now over 4% of the population are fluent. More and more we’re seeing Māori words becoming part of the general language used by all Kiwis, for example kapai (”kar pie”) = good, whanau (”far know”) = a family group, manakai (”ky”) is food.
History of New Zealand Immigration
- The Maori’s first arrived in New Zealand over 600 years ago.
- The 19th Century saw large numbers of people from the UK, and after WWII brought European immigrants to New Zealand to build a new life.
- During the 1960s people from neighbouring Pacific Islands, Samoa and Tonga settled in NZ. The 1980s brought an increasing number of people from China, Korea and South Africa to New Zealand.
- Now NZ is a multi cultural society with people from all other the world looking to emigrate to New Zealand.
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