Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)

Governor-General: Sir Michael Hardie Boys (1996)

Prime Minister: Helen Clark (1999)

Area: 268,680 sq. km

Population (2000 est.): 3,819,762 (average annual growth rate: 0.7%); birth rate: 14.3/1000; infant mortality rate: 6.4/1000; density per sq. mi.: 37

Capital: Wellington

Largest cities (est. 1995):
Auckland, 952,600;
Wellington, 331,100;
Christchurch, 324,400

Monetary unit: New Zealand dollar

Languages: English, Maori

Ethnicity/race: European 88%, Maori 8.9%, Pacific Islander 2.9%, other 0.2%

Religions: Christian, 81%; none, 18%; Hindu, Confucian, and other, 1%

Literacy rate: 99% (1980)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (1998 est.): $61.1 billion; $17,000 per capita. Real growth rate: &endash;0.2%. Inflation: 1.1%. Unemployment: 7.6%. Arable land: 9%. Agriculture: wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruit, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish. Labor force: 1.86 million (1998); sservices 65.1%, industry 25.1%, agriculture 9.8% (1995). Industries: food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining. Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone. Exports: $12.9 billion (1998 est.): wool, lamb, mutton, beef, fish, cheese, chemicals, forestry products, fruit and vegetables, manufactures, dairy products, wood. Imports: $13 billion (1998 est.): machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, consumer goods, plastics. Major trading partners: Australia, Japan, U.S., U.K.

Member of Commonwealth of Nations

Geography:
New Zealand, about 2,012 km southeast of Australia, consists of two main islands and a number of smaller, outlying islands so scattered that they range from the tropical to the antarctic. The country is the size of Colorado. New Zealand's two main components are North Island and South Island, separated by Cook Strait, which varies from 26 to 396 km in width. North Island (115,777 sq. km) is 829 km long and volcanic in its south-central part. This area contains many hot springs and beautiful geysers. South Island ( 151,215 sq. km) has the Southern Alps along its west coast, with Mount Cook ( 3,754 m) the highest point. The largest of the outlying islands are the Auckland Islands ( 606 sq. km), Campbell Island ( 114 sq. km), the Antipodes Islands ( 62 sq. km), and the Kermadec Islands ( 34 sq. km).

Government:
Parliamentary democracy.

History:
Maoris were the first inhabitants of New Zealand, arriving on the islands in about A.D. 1000 from other parts of Polynesia. In 1642 New Zealand was explored by Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator. British captain James Cook made three voyages to the islands, beginning in 1769. Britain formally took over the islands in 1840.

The Treaty of Waitangi (Feb. 6, 1840) between the British and several Maori tribes promised to protect Maori land if the Maoris recognized British rule.

New Zealand was the world's first country to give women the right to vote (1893). It adopted old age pensions (1898); a national child welfare program (1907); social security for the aged, widows, and orphans, along with family benefit payments; minimum wages; a 40-hour work week and unemployment and health insurance (1938); and socialized medicine (1941).

New Zealand fought with the Allies in both world wars as well as in Korea. In 1999, it became part of the U.N. peacekeeping force sent to East Timor to restore order after the bloody rampage of pro-Indonesian militias, who took revenge on the province for voting for independence from Indonesia.