Capital of New Zealand?

What is the capital of NEW ZEALAND? The correct answer is listed further below!
A — Wellington
B — Dunedin
C — Runanga
D — Herbertville























ANSWER
A . . . . . Wellington

New Zealand Exports

According to MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of NEW ZEALAND: acrylic alcohol, agricultural machinery, aluminum, animal fat, animal hides, animal meal and pellets, apples and pears, bulbs and roots, casein, coal briquettes, copper, corn (maize), dairy products, dried legumes, edible preparations, electric transformers, frozen bovine meat, frozen vegetables, goat and sheep meat, gold, headwear, iron ore, iron, jewelry, malt extract, medical instruments, medical supplies, metal mountings, onions, peptones, petroleum gas, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, pitted and tropical fruit, quicklime, recreational boats, refrigerators, salt, silver, sowing seeds, special purpose ships, sulfate chemical wood pulp, therapeutic appliances, tobacco, vehicle parts, water soluble proteins, wine and other beverages, wood, and wool. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include China (top importer), Australia, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Germany, Algeria, Hong Kong, and Canada.

Anzac Day Yesterday

Yesterday on April 25th, AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND celebrated the 102nd anniversary of Anzac Day. This annual day commemorates the service of all veterans who served and are serving in wars and peacekeeping missions. By the way, ANZAC is an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Australians and New Zealanders (Kiwis) first observed the holiday in 1916 — in order to memorialize binational troops arriving at Gallipoli (TURKEY) to fight in World War I against the Ottoman Empire.

Species Named After New Zealand

About thirty species are named after NEW ZEALAND, which placed 14th in the Rio Olympics medal count. As shown in my recent Extinct Species of New Zealand post, several extinct species were named after New Zealand since they were endemic to this country. Living species are as follows: Cormandel New Zealand Frog (Archey's Frog), New Zealand Catshark, N. Z. Cedar Tree, N. Z. Dabchick, N. Z. Dolphin, N. Z. Falcon, N. Z. Fantail, N. Z. Flax Snail, N. Z. Freshwater Mussel, N. Z. Grayling, N. Z. Greater Short-Tailed Bat, N. Z. Hagfish, N. Z. Hair Sedge, N. Z. Kaka bird, N. Z. Lesser Short-Tailed Bat, N. Z. Little Bittern, N. Z. Mudsnail, N. Z. Pigeon, N. Z. Quail, N. Z. Robin, N. Z. Rockwren, N. Z. Scampi lobster, N. Z. Scaup duck, N. Z. Sea Cucumber, N. Z. Sealion, N. Z. Storm Petrel bird, N. Z. Tomtit bird, and Oliver's New Zealand Skink.

New Zealand Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for NEW ZEALAND in Oceania lists 32 critically endangered species and 57 endangered species. Some of New Zealand's critically endangered species are as follows: Bartlett's Rata tree, Bignose Galaxias fish, Chatham Shag Cormorant, Cromwell Chafer Beetle, Lowland Longjaw Galaxias fish, Northland Mudfish, Orange-Fronted Parakeet, Orange Parrot, Speargrass Weevil, Three Kings Kaikomako tree. Endangered species include the Australasian Bittern, Big-Crested Penguin, Black-Fronted Tern, Blue Duck, Bunyip Egg fungus, Forbe's Parakeet, Otago Skink, South Island Takahe, Spring Eel, and Yellow-Eyed Penguin.

Extinct Species of New Zealand

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for NEW ZEALAND in Oceania lists 28 extinct species, most of which were once endemic to New Zealand. The following species are extinct in the island nation: Adams' Mistletoe, Auckland Island Merganser duck, Chatham Island Bellbird, Chatham Island Rail bird, Chatham Islands Fernbird, Dieffenbach's Rail, Finsch's Duck, Hawkins' Rail, Hodgen's Waterhen, Huia Wattlebird, Kawekaweau Gecko (Hoplodactylus delcourti), Laughing Owl, Lepidium obtusatum plant, Logania depressa plant, Mecodema punctellum beetle, New Zealand Bush Wren, New Zealand Grayling bird, New Zealand Little Bittern, New Zealand Quail, New Zealand Thrush, North Island Piopio bird, North Island Snipe bird, North Island Takahe, South Island Snipe, Stellaria elatinoides chickweed, Stephens Island Wren, Waiautoa Forget-Me-Not flower, and Waitakere Scurvy Grass.

Countries with Z in their Names

There are sixteen countries with Z in their names. Two countries start with the letter Z: Zambia and Zimbabwe. Other countries with the letter Z in their names are Azerbaijan, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique, New Zealand, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. Zaire was a former Z country, but that became the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"Land" Countries

Several countries in Asia, Europe, and Oceania have the word land in their names. I nickname them the "Land Countries," which are listed right here: FINLAND, ICELAND, IRELAND, MARSHALL ISLANDS, The NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, POLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS, SWAZILAND, SWITZERLAND, and THAILAND. Somaliland in northeast Africa is another entity with land in its name. However, it is an autonomous region in SOMALIA fighting for its independence, not a recognized country currently.

Main Islands of New Zealand

You might (or not) have known that NEW ZEALAND is comprised of two main islands: North Island and South Island. However, did you know that there is a small island, named D'Urville Island? D'Urville is situated between the two much larger islands and more specifically located west of the Cook Strait and northeast of Tasman Bay.

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.