New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND is an Oceanic country achieving full independence on November 25th, 1947 with the signing of the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act and New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act.* Before that monumental year, New Zealand became a Dominion of the United Kingdom on September 26th, 1907. New Zealand is known for its endemic Kiwi bird species, serving as a national symbol. The island country is about 2,000 kilometers east-southeast of Australia, 2,000 km south of Fiji, and is known as Aotearoa by its native Māori people.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  Citizens are typically referred to as New Zealanders or Kiwis. New Zealand's capital is Wellington, and Auckland was the former capital until 1865. Other cities include Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Invercargill, New Plymouth, Queenstown, and Rotorua. The official languages are English and Maori. Other widely communicated native and immigrant languages include Afrikaans, Arabic, Fijian, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Niue, Pitcairn-Norfolk (Pitcairn English), Pukapuka, Rakahanga-Manihiki, Rarotongan, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, Tokelauan, Tongan, and Yue Chinese. Native and indigenous groups on mainland New Zealand are the Maori people, comprised of dozens of tribes (iwi). The currency New Zealanders use is the New Zealand Dollar, and its ISO 4217 currency code is NZD.

● ● ● ● ●  Land and Water Features  ● ● ● ● ●  North Island and South Island are New Zealand's two main islands, and smaller islands include Chatham, D'Urville, Stewart, and Great Barrier. The South Pacific Ocean surrounds New Zealand, while the Tasman Sea separates the country from Australia. Also known as Mount Cook, Aoraki towers 3,724 meters and 12,218 feet tall and boasts the designation of highest mountain in New Zealand. The former reading was 3,754 meters and 12,316 feet until 1991, when rock and ice collapsed and started the process an abundance of erosion.

The Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau are New Zealand's island territories. They are located more than 1,000 miles northeast of New Zealand. The Cook Islands are comprised of two north and south island groupings; its capital is Avarua. Known for its collectible commemorative coins, Niue is an island surrounded by reefs. Its capital — located on the western coast — is Alofi, and other Niuean communities include Avatele, Hakupu, Huihui (Niue International Airport's location), Mutalau, Tamakautoga, Tuapa, and Vaiea. Tokelau is a capital-less territory that has three atolls; Atafu and Nukunonu are major communities.

The map was added to this post on June 26th, 2013.

* More details of New Zealand's various "independence days" can be found on this New Zealand Parliament page.