Economic landscape

What is the kiwi?

What side do they drive in NZ?

What is Mount Cook?

New Zealand is an island country, 1000 miles of Australia. It covers 268, 680 sq km. The original name of NZ is Aotearoa /Land of the Long Cloud/. This mountainous island na­tion lies in the South Pacific about 1, 600 km southeast of Australia. The highest peak in NZ is Mount Cook /3764 m/. There are forests of pine like kauri trees. The longest River is the Waikato /425km/. NZ has hundreds of waterfalls. Southerland Falls is 580 m high. It is the 5^th highest waterfall in the world. The two principal land forms are North Island and South Island. Stewart Island and Chatham Islands are far to the east. Small islands are uninhabited. The more populous North Island has fertile agri­cultural land, the largest man-made forest in the Southern Hemisphere, and a few is plated snowcapped vol­canoes. It also boasts hot springs, mud pools, and geysers in its thermal region. On South Island, the Southern Alps provide opportunities for skiing. There are many glaciers, lakes, and rivers. Coastal fjords rival those of Norway. Coastal lowland are used for agriculture. Both islands have many sandy beaches. NZ has 400 earthquakes a year, but only 100 of them are strong.

The climate is temperate, with plenty of sunshine and adequate rainfall. The country is well wa­tered. In the winter high humidity makes it cold /4C/. The peaks have ice-caps. Summer temperature is 23C. The seasons are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere. January is in the middle of summer and July is in the middle of winter.

Animal life. Animals have been introduced from other countries. Two species of bats are the only native land mammals. NZ has no snakes. But the tuatara, a native prehistoric reptile still lives in NZ. Na­tive birds are kakapo parrot, kiwi, takahe and weka. The kiwi is the only bird with nostrils. The kiwi is apteryx, it cannot fly. The kiwi has a stocky body with brown feathers, an a long, flexible bill. Its relationship to other birds is obscure. Kiwi is so popular that it became a nickname for a New Zealander and a nonflying serviceman of the air service.

The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. Its population is 325, 000. British settlers founded Wel­lington in 1840. The capital was moved there from Auckland, the largest city, because of Wellington's cen­tral location.

Wellington is also a port and manufacture center. It lies along the harbor of port Nicholson. The port of Wellington handles foreign trade. Factories assemble automobiles. The city is the home of Victoria University of Wellington. Places of interest include the parliament buildings, two cathedrals, the Dominion Museum National Art Gallery and Michael Fowler Center., -

Economy. NZ has a modern economy. 5% of the population is employed in agriculture. NZ has 3 million dairy cattle, 5 million beef cattle and 6 million sheep. The country is the world's largest producer of kiwi fruit. NZ farmers produce chicken and eggs, deer, goats an pigs. Chief crops ate barley, potatoes and wheat. NZ loggers cut down 10 million cubic meters of timber yearly. Most of this t iber comes from the radiata pine.NZ exports wool, lamb, mutton, and beef, fruit, fish and cheese. NZ is the world's largest exporter of wool. Industries include food processing, textiles, machinery, wood and paper products. The chief fish in NZ water include barracuda, hoki, orange roughy, red cod snapper. Rock lobster are trapped along the coast. Fish and frozen fish and rock: lobster tails rank as important exports. Oyster farming is de­veloped too. Tourism i s a vital economic sector. Real gross domestic product per capita-is $ 14, 990. Unem­ployment is low but higher among Maori. A free-trade agreement with Australia has boosted trade. Eco­nomic growth has averaged 4-8 %. One of KNZ’s major concerns is finding new overseas markets for its diary and wheat production. The currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZ$).

Transportation and communication. A private car is the preferred mode of transportation. In NZ they drive on the left side. Many urban residents ride a bus to work. All major cities have good bus sys­tems. Trains and a domestic airline also operate between cities. Many people use bicycles. Ferries carry passengers and cars between the two main islands. Numerous radio and TV stations and other media oper­ate throughout NZ.