New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand / is an island nation in the southwest Pacific Ocean consisting of two main islands and a group of about 600 small islands, most notably Stuart and Chatham Islands. New Zealand's original name in Maori is Otiarewa which means the land of the long white cloud. New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and dependencies

New Zealand is part of the continent of Zeelandia, a small submerged continent nearly half the size of the State of Australia, most of which (93%) have gradually drowned in the depths of the Pacific Ocean after separating from the Great Ganduana. New Zealand is notable for its geographical isolation, as it is located about 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) southeast of the continent of Australia across the Tasman Sea and 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from its closest neighbors to the north, New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga

In New Zealand, there are distinctive birds dominated by birds, many of which have gone extinct after the arrival of humans and the mammals they brought in. New Zealand's topographical formation and its steep mountain peaks, similar to the Southern Alps, are due to the tectonic increase of lands and volcanic eruptions

The majority of New Zealanders are of European descent (74%), while the indigenous Maori are the largest minority of 15%. Asians and Pacific Island peoples also form a large minority groups, especially in urban areas. The most common language is English 96%

New Zealand is one of the developed countries, where it ranks highly in international rankings on many topics, including education, economic freedom and lack of corruption. The unemployment rate is a very weak rate of 3.5%, and its cities are also consistently ranked among the most livable in the world

Elizabeth II is the Queen of New Zealand and the Head of State and is represented by the Governor-General. While exercising executive political power, the New Zealand Cabinet

New Zealand is made up of two main islands, North (Te Aca Maui) and South (TY Poonamu) in Maori, and several other smaller islands located near the center of the hemisphere. The northern and southern islands are separated by the Cook Strait, which is 20 kilometers wide at the narrowest point. The total land area is 268,021 square kilometers (103,483 sq mi) and is thus slightly smaller than Italy or Japan and slightly larger than the United Kingdom

The country stretches over 1,600 km (990 mi) along its main axis from northeast to southwest, with approximately 15,134 km (9,404 mi) of coastline. The most important inhabited minor islands include Stewart Island (Rakiura), Waiheke Island in Hauraki Bay, Auckland, Great Barrier Island east of Hauraki Bay and Chatham Islands that are called Rikkho by Moreori

New Zealand has extensive marine resources, with the seventh largest exclusive economic zone in the world, with an area of ​​more than four million square kilometers (1,500,000 square miles) and is fifteen times greater than its land area

Climate conditions vary sharply between extremely wet on the west coast from the southern island to semi-arid in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin in Inner Canterbury to Subtropical in Northland. One of the major cities, Christchurch is the driest, with only 640 millimeters (25 inches) of rain annually

As for Auckland, it receives the largest share of rain, twice that of Christchurch. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch receive an average annual rate of over 2000 hours of sunlight. The southern and southwestern parts of the South Island have a cooler and more cloudy climate and have around 1400-1600 hours. The northern and northeastern parts of the South Island are exposed to about 2400-2500 hours

Because of its long isolation from the rest of the world and its vital geography, New Zealand possesses an exceptional plant and animal diversity that descends from the wildlife that was in Gondwana, and some have also reached it by flying or swimming across the sea. About 80% of New Zealand plants are endemic including 65 endemic species

There are two main types of forests that are dominated by giant kauri and / or podocarb trees and in milder regions the southern beech trees. The species of vegetation remaining in New Zealand is a mass of grassland and others that is usually found in areas near the mountain and lowland bush areas between pastures and forests

Endemic New Zealand reptiles include 51 species of skink, 19 species of gecko and two species of live fossil tuatara. Several times, marine turtles (mostly the giant leatherback turtle) and 3 species of sea snakes were seen in territorial waters, most of the sightings being in the north of the North Island

There are no wild eels. There are no scorpions, and there is only one small poisonous spider, Katibo (8mm), which is rare and limited to coastal areas. There are 4 types of endemic frog. There are many endemic species of insects, including weta, which can grow into the size of a mouse home and are the heaviest insect in the world

It was long believed that New Zealand did not possess any indigenous non-marine mammals except for three types of bats (one of which is now extinct). But in 2006 scientists discovered bones dating back more than 15 million years, unique from wild mammals the size of a mouse in the Otago region of the South Island

New Zealand has a modern and prosperous economy with GDP (purchasing power parity) estimated at $ 198.52 billion in 2018. The country has a relatively high level of GDP per capita of $ 40,118 in 2018, similar to southern Europe

 New Zealand relies on a market economy that relies heavily on world trade. Since 2000 New Zealand has made significant gains in average household income. During the 2007-2010 financial crisis, GDP fell for five consecutive quarters, the longest recession in more than thirty years

New Zealand has a high level of satisfaction with life, according to international surveys, and this despite the low levels of GDP of many other OECD countries. The country ranks 13th on the 2015 Human Development Index and 15th in the 2005 Global Economist Quality of Life Index

The country ranked first in terms of social capital and tenth in overall prosperity in the 2009 Legatum Institute Prosperity Index. In addition, in the 2018 Mercer Institute Quality of Life statistic, Auckland ranked third and Wellington ranked 15th globally. Taxes in New Zealand are lighter than in other OECD countries. New Zealand has a capitalist non-intervention economy, according to the Fraser Institute expertise

The services sector is the largest economic sector (68.8% of GDP) followed by manufacturing and construction (26.9% of GDP) and then agriculture and raw material extraction (4.3% of GDP)

New Zealand relies heavily on free trade, especially in agricultural products. Exports make up about 24% of their production, which is a relatively high figure (which is about 50% for many smaller European countries). This makes New Zealand particularly vulnerable to international commodity prices and the global economic slowdown. The main export industries are agriculture, horticulture, fishing and forestry

These make up about half of the country's exports. New Zealand's export partners are Australia 20.5%, the United States 13.1%, Japan 10.3%, China 5.4% and the United Kingdom 4.9% (2006). Tourism plays an important role in New Zealand's economy. In 2010, the sector contributed about $ 15 billion (or 9.1%) of New Zealand's gross domestic product, and created jobs for about 184,800 full-time jobs (9.6% of New Zealand's total workforce). The tourist population to New Zealand is expected to increase by 2.5% annually

The New Zealand dollar is the currency in New Zealand. Also used in the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and Pitcairn Islands. The New Zealand dollar is sometimes known as the "kiwi dollar" informally

The Economist of New Zealand (2009) predicts that the government's fiscal position will remain weak due to "weakening revenue and mounting expenditures growth". Government debt is expected to balloon from 25% (2008) to 40% (2013). GDP growth in 2009 will shrink by 2.6% and thus 2.2% between 2010-2013 (although there are “negative risks” that may hinder this growth)

The government will continue to pursue foreign trade. The inflation rate will be 1.4% in 2009, 1.3% in 2010 and an average of 2.3% 2011 through 2013. The New Zealand dollar is expected to decline against the US dollar during 2010 but will strengthen again at the beginning of 2011 (but the report indicates that exchange rates are volatile and difficult to predict)