New Zealand is an island country in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southeast of
Australia and about 6,500 miles (10,500 kilometers) southwest of California. New Zealand belongs to a large island group called Polynesia. The Tasman Sea, a part of  the Pacific, separates New Zealand from Australia.

The country consists of two main islands--the North Island and the South Island--and several dozen much smaller islands. Most of the smaller islands are several hours by boat from the main ones.  The country was once part of the British Empire. Today, it is an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of countries that replaced the empire.

 New Zealand is a beautiful country of snow-capped mountains, green  lowlands, beaches, and many lakes and waterfalls. No place is more than 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the coast, and in few places are mountains or hills out of view.

 A brown-skinned people called the Maori were the first people to live in New Zealand. They came  from Polynesian islands located northeast of New  Zealand. Europeans discovered the country in 1642, but they did not start to settle in the islands until the late 1700's.  Today, most New Zealanders are descendants of the early European settlers. About 15 percent of the people are Maori. A New Zealander of European descent is known as a pakeha «PAH kuh hah or PAH kee hah». Pakeha is the Maori word for white man. New Zealanders believe deeply in equal rights for all citizens. The Maori and pakehas live in an atmosphere of common trust, and Maori political leaders and professional people play important roles in the life of the nation.

The North Island and the South Island are the largest islands of New Zealand. They extend in a curve more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) long and cover about 99 percent of the country's total area. Cook Strait, which is 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide, separates the islands.

The South Island has three main regions: (1) the Southern Alps and High Country, (2) the
Canterbury Plains, and (3) the Otago Plateaus and Basins.

 The western slopes of the Southern Alps and High Country region are forested, rainy, and rugged. The eastern slopes are lower and much less rainy. Along the southwest coast, long inlets of the sea, called fiords, cut into the land. They create a jagged coastline. Granite mountains border many of the fiords.

The Otago Plateaus and Basins lie in the southeast corner of the South Island. It is a region of plains and rolling hills, where livestock farming is important.   The Clutha River on the South Island carries the largest volume of water. The rapid flow of New Zealand's rivers makes them important sources of hydroelectric power.
 
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II of Britain is also queen of New Zealand. She appoints a governor general to represent her, but this official has little power. The legislature, prime minister, and Cabinet run the national government.  Britain gave New Zealand a constitution in 1852, when it was a British colony. But through the years, the New Zealand legislature has changed almost all its provisions. For all practical purposes, the nation today has no written constitution.

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city. Wellington, the country's capital, and Christchurch are the other large cities of New Zealand.

New Zealand's weather rarely becomes extremely hot or extremely cold.  New Zealand has a mild, moist climate like that of the Pacific Northwest Coast of the United States. But New Zealand lies south of the equator, and so its seasons are opposite those of the Northern Hemisphere. July is New Zealand's coldest month, and January and February are its warmest months. The country's mild climate results from ocean breezes that bring warmth to the land in winter and coolness in summer. Summer temperatures range from about 65 °F (18 °C) to about 85 °F (29 °C). Winter temperatures range from about 35 °F (2 °C) to about 55 °F (13 °C). Rain falls throughout the year in New Zealand. The amount varies little from month to month,
 but some regions regularly receive much more rain than others. Throughout New Zealand, the weather shifts suddenly from sunny to rainy and back to sunny again. Severe thunderstorms rarely occur in New Zealand. Snow seldom falls in lowland areas, though some mountain peaks remain snow-capped all year.
 
In some rural areas of New Zealand, small settlements are linked by good roads, and so social contact is easy. But in rugged ranch country, a rancher's nearest neighbors may be many miles or kilometers away.

 Many people who immigrated to New Zealand in the 1800's belonged to various church groups. These groups established
their own religions in the areas where they settled. For example, members of the Anglican Canterbury Association helped found the city of Christchurch. There, they established the Church of England, which is now known in New Zealand as the Anglican Church.  Members of the Free Church of Scotland helped found Dunedin, where they established the Presbyterian faith in New Zealand. Today, the major religions in various parts of the country still reflect the settlement patterns and faiths of the early colonists. About 25 percent of all New Zealanders belong to the Anglican Church. Presbyterians make up about 18 percent of the population.  Roman Catholics account for about 15 percent, and about 5 percent of the people belong to the Methodist Church. Other religious groups include the Ratana and Ringatu churches of the Maori. The beliefs of
 these groups combine Biblical teachings with the ideas of Maori prophets.
 
The South Island began to prosper soon after New Zealand became a colony. The island's rich grasslands provided good grazing for sheep imported from Australia, and soon the settlers exported wool.  In 1861, gold was discovered in Otago. Immigrants poured into the country, hoping to strike it rich. Few miners found as much gold as they hoped for, but many stayed to become farmers. Farming developed rapidly on the South Island, and soon wheat was also being exported.

                                           Contributor:
                                           • W. B. Johnston, M.A., Emeritus Professor of Geography, Univ. of
                                           Canterbury.

                                           W. B. Johnston, "New Zealand," Discovery Channel School, original content
                                           provided by World Book Online,
                                           http://www.discoveryschool.com/homeworkhelp/
                                           worldbook/atozgeography/n/389520.html, 17 January 2001