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I. Location and Topography
- located in the southern Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
- North Island and South Island are divided by Cook Strait
- there are approx. 220 mountains, the highest being Mount Cook (3754m)
- active volcanos found on North Island, rugged shoreline and landscape with many torrents, cliffs and valleys
II. Facts and Figures
- 15 times more sheep than inhabitants (3.68 million)
- capital is Wellington, biggest city is Auckland (0.9 million)
- total land coverage 270,534 sqkm (about the same size as United Kingdom)
- average temperature in Auckland in January is 24 degrees Celsius
III. History
- first European (Abel Janszoon Tasman) set foot on North Island in 1642
- James Cook explored New Zealand in 1769
- 1840 Treaty of Waitangi was signed, New Zealand was annexed by U.K.
- Sovereign Constitution was passed by General Assembly in 1852
- became Dominion of British Commonwealth in 1907
IV. The Maori people and their Culture
- original inhabitants of New Zealand www.sunshineswingers.de.vu
- Maori is second language, taught in most schools
- today only 9% of population, 95% of those live on North Island
V. Economy
- dominated by agriculture and export of wool, meat and dairy products
- biggest exporter of Kiwis worldwide
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