Page 58 - New Zealand: Natural Wonders North & South

DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

New Zealand

Facts & Figures

• Area: 103,363 square miles

• Capital: Wellington

• Language: English

• Ethnicity: 0`]Z[PLY " 8LZ]T ,^TLY ;LNTʭN T^WLYOP] " ! Z_SP] "
`Y^[PNTʭPO

• Location: New Zealand, consisting of two main islands (the North Island and South
4^WLYO [W`^ ^ZXP ^XLWWP] Zʬ^SZ]P T^WP^ T^ ^T_`L_PO LMZ`_ XTWP^ ^Z`_SPL^_
ZQ ,`^_]LWTL LYO ^`]]Z`YOPO Md _SP >Z`_S ;LNTʭN :NPLY _SP ?L^XLY >PL LYO _SP
Southern Ocean.
• Geography: The Cook Strait, a rather turbulent waterway, separates the North Island
from the South Island. From tip to tip, the whole country measures about 1,000 miles.
Despite its generous length, its widest point is only 174 miles across. The South Island is
divided along its length by the Southern Alps and the Fiordland’s steep mountains and
OPP[ ʭZ]O^ ]PNZ]O _SP Pc_PY^TaP TNP LRP RWLNTL_TZY ZQ T_^ ^Z`_S bP^_P]Y NZ]YP] ?SP 9Z]_S
Island is less mountainous, but its geography is marked by ancient volcanic activity.

• Population: 4,438,393 (estimate)

• Religions: Christian 44.3%, Hindu 2.1%, Buddhist 1.4%, Maori Christian 1.3%, Islam
1.1%, other 1.4%, none 38.5%, not stated 8.2%, objected to answering 4.1%

• Time Zone: New Zealand is on New Zealand Standard Time, 17 hours ahead of U.S. EST.
When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 10pm in Wellington.

National Holidays: New Zealand

In addition to the holidays listed below, New 01/02 Day after New Year’s
Zealand celebrates a number of national
02/06 Waitangi Day
holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such
as Easter, the Queen’s Birthday, and Labor 04/25 Anzac Day
/Ld ?Z ʭYO Z`_ TQ dZ` bTWW MP _]LaPWTYR
during these holidays, please visit www. 12/25 Christmas
timeanddate.com/holidays.
12/26 Boxing Day
01/01 New Year’s Day

Historical Overview of New Zealand

Early History

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