NEW ZEALAND - Quick Fact File

Capital:

Wellington

Area:

Total: 278,000 sq km
includes Steward Island, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

International:

Territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

Area Comparative:

About the size of Colorado

Population:

3,993,817 (July 2004 est)

Geography Note:

About 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world

Ethnic Groups:

New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4%

Religions:

Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)

Languages:

English (official), Maori (official)

Currency:

New Zealand Dollar (NZD)

Climate:

Temperate with sharp regional constrasts

Evaluation Extremes:

Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

Government:

Parliamentary Democracy

Executive Branch:

Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002)

13 Regions:

Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne-Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Nelson-Marlborough, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

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