Quick facts

Population: 4 million

Languages: English (official), Maori (official)

Political system: Parliamentary democracy

Capital: Wellington (pop. 400,000)

Education: compulsory until age 16. 99% literacy rate

Culture: 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%

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.9% (male:443,837; female:423,118)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male:1,318,751; female:1,307,796)
65 years and over: 11.6% (male:199,722; female:258,083)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,200 (2002 .est)

Terrain: Varies from rolling farmland to barren volcanic deserts; from golden beaches to snow covered mountains.

Climate: Temperate without great extremes. Situated in the Southern Hemisphere, New Zealand's seasons are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere. The climate is temperate with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers.

Seasons: Summer: December - February Autumn: March - May Winter: June - August Spring: September - November

Major cities: The capital, Wellington, is situated at the southern tip of the North Island. Other major cities and towns are Auckland (pop. 1,000,000), Hamilton (pop. 120,000), Palmerston North (pop. 75,000), Christchurch (pop. 400,000) and Dunedin (pop. 110,000).