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| Geography |
| About 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world. |
| Location: | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 41 00 S, 174 00 E |
| Area: | total: 268,680 sq km
land: 268,021 sq km
water: NA
note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec IslandsSize comparison: about the size of Colorado |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 15,134 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Climate: | temperate with sharp regional contrasts |
| Terrain: | predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m |
| Natural resources: | natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone |
| Land use: | arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 87.54% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 2,850 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity |
| Current Environment Issues: | deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation |
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| People |
| Population: | 4,173,460 (July 2008 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 20.9% (male 446,883/female 424,240)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,390,669/female 1,385,686)
65 years and over: 12.6% (male 238,560/female 287,422) (2008 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 36.3 years
male: 35.6 years
female: 37.1 years (2008 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.971% (2008 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 14.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 80.24 years
male: 78.33 years
female: 82.25 years (2008 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.11 children born/woman (2008 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 1,400 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 200 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand |
| Ethnic groups: | European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census) |
| Religions: | Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census) |
| Languages: | English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.) |
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| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand
abbreviation: NZ |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | name: Wellington
geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March
note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island |
| Administrative divisions: | 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast |
| Dependent areas: | Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau |
| Independence: | 26 September 1907 (from UK) |
| National holiday: | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915) |
| Constitution: | consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 |
| Legal system: | based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister John KEY (since 19 November 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bill ENGLISH (since 19 November 2008)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (usually 120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists; to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 8 November 2008 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NP 45.5%, NZLP 33.8%, Green Party 6.4%, ACT New Zealand 3.7%, Maori 2.2%, Progressive 0.9%, UF 0.9%, other 6.6%; seats by party - NP 59, NZLP 43, Green Party 8, ACT New Zealand 5, Maori 5, Progressive 1, UF 1
note: results of 2008 election saw the total number of seats increase to 122 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges appointed by the Governor-General |
| Political parties and leaders: | ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [John KEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Phil GOFF]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Women's Electoral Lobby or WEL
other: apartheid groups; civil rights groups; farmers groups; Maori; nuclear weapons groups; women's rights groups |
| International organization participation: | ADB, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034
telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000
FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490
consulate(s) general: Auckland |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister John KEY (since 19 November 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bill ENGLISH (since 19 November 2008)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
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| Economy |
| Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes - but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder - and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector. Per capita income has risen for eight consecutive years and reached $27,300 in 2007 in purchasing power parity terms. Consumer and government spending have driven growth in recent years, and exports picked up in 2006 after struggling for several years. Exports were equal to about 22% of GDP in 2007, down from 33% of GDP in 2001. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. Inflationary pressures have built in recent years and the central bank raised its key rate 13 times since January 2004 to finish 2007 at 8.25%. A large balance of payments deficit poses another challenge in managing the economy. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $112.4 billion (2007 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $128.1 billion (2007 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3.1% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $27,200 (2007 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 4.5%
industry: 26.2%
services: 69.3% (2007 est.) |
| Labor force: | 2.236 million (2007 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 7%
industry: 19%
services: 74% (2006 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 3.6% (2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: %NA
highest 10%: %NA |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 36.2 (1997) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.4% (2007 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | 23.3% of GDP (2007 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $58.31 billion
expenditures: $53.5 billion (2007 est.) |
| Public debt: | 20.7% of GDP (2007 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | dairy products, lamb and mutton; wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish |
| Industries: | food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 1.5% (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 42.41 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 38.93 billion kWh (2006 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2007 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 47,850 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 158,400 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 14,570 bbl/day (2005) |
| Oil - imports: | 137,300 bbl/day (2005) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 55 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 4.573 billion cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 4.572 billion cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 29.67 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$10.23 billion (2007 est.) |
| Exports: | $27.35 billion (2007 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery |
| Exports - partners: | Australia 22%, US 11.5%, Japan 9.2%, China 5.3%, UK 4.6% (2007) |
| Imports: | $29.06 billion (2007 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics |
| Imports - partners: | Australia 20.7%, China 13.4%, US 9.7%, Japan 9.5%, Singapore 4.9%, Germany 4.7% (2007) |
| Economic aid - donor: | ODA, $259 million (2006) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $17.25 billion (31 December 2007 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $51.44 billion (31 December 2007 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $71.31 billion (2007 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $NA |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $40.62 billion (2005) |
| Currency (code): | New Zealand dollar (NZD) |
| Exchange rates: | New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March
note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes |
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: | 1.706 million (2007) |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 4.245 million (2007) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA
international: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and the US; satellite earth stations - 8 (1 Inmarsat - Pacific Ocean, 7 other) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .nz |
| Internet hosts: | 1.72 million (2008) |
| Internet users: | 3.36 million (2007) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: | 121 (2007) |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 41
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 26
under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 80
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 46 (2007) |
| Pipelines: | condensate 331 km; gas 1,896 km; liquid petroleum gas 172 km; oil 288 km; refined products 260 km (2007) |
| Railways: | total: 4,128 km
narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2006) |
| Roadways: | total: 93,576 km
paved: 61,564 km (includes 172 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,012 km (2006) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 13
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 3 (Australia 1, Germany 1, South Africa 1)
registered in other countries: 5 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Cook Islands 1, France 1, UK 1) (2008) |
| Ports and terminals: | Auckland, Lyttelton, Marsden Point, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei |
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| Military |
|
| Military branches: | New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2008) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2008) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,009,298
females age 16-49: 997,134 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 833,073
females age 16-49: 822,807 (2008 est.) |
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