Coordinates: 42°S 173°E / 42°S 173°E / -42; 173New
Zealand (MÄ ori: Aotearoa [aÉ"ˈtÉ›aɾÉ"a]) is an island country in
the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main
landmassesâ€"the North Island (Te Ika-a-MÄ ui) and the South Island
(Te Waipounamu)â€"and around 600 smaller islands, covering a total
area of 268,021 square kilometres (103,500 sq mi). New Zealand is
about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman
Sea and 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the islands of New
Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country's varied topography and sharp
mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic
uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is
Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.Owing to their
remoteness, the islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable
lands to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350,
Polynesians began to settle in the islands, and then developed a
distinctive MÄ ori culture. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became
the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of
the United Kingdom and MÄ ori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi,
which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New
Zealand became a colony within the British Empire and in 1907 it
became a dominion; it gained full statutory independence in 1947 and
the British monarch remained the head of state. Today, the majority of
New Zealand's population of 5 million is of European descent; the
indigenous MÄ ori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and
Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly
derived from MÄ ori and early British settlers, with recent broadening
arising from increased immigration. The official languages are
English, MÄ ori, and New Zealand Sign Language, with English being
very dominant.
Zealand (MÄ ori: Aotearoa [aÉ"ˈtÉ›aɾÉ"a]) is an island country in
the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main
landmassesâ€"the North Island (Te Ika-a-MÄ ui) and the South Island
(Te Waipounamu)â€"and around 600 smaller islands, covering a total
area of 268,021 square kilometres (103,500 sq mi). New Zealand is
about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman
Sea and 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the islands of New
Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country's varied topography and sharp
mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic
uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is
Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.Owing to their
remoteness, the islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable
lands to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350,
Polynesians began to settle in the islands, and then developed a
distinctive MÄ ori culture. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became
the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of
the United Kingdom and MÄ ori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi,
which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New
Zealand became a colony within the British Empire and in 1907 it
became a dominion; it gained full statutory independence in 1947 and
the British monarch remained the head of state. Today, the majority of
New Zealand's population of 5 million is of European descent; the
indigenous MÄ ori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and
Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly
derived from MÄ ori and early British settlers, with recent broadening
arising from increased immigration. The official languages are
English, MÄ ori, and New Zealand Sign Language, with English being
very dominant.
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