New Zealand - lühireferaat (1)

New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country . It is in the south -western Pacific Ocean comprising two main island, North - and the South Island with lots of smaller islands . New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation. It's about 1,600 kilometers from Australia and its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and  Tonga .
New Zealand's total land area is 268,021 square kilometers. The country extends more than 1600 kilometers along its main,north - north-east axis and has about 15,000 kilometers of coastline. The South Island is the largest land mass of New Zealand and is divided along its lenght by the Southern Alps and the highest mountain Mount Cook is 3,754 meters high. There are 18 peaks over 3000 meters in the South Island. The highest North Island mountain is Mount Ruapehu and it is an active cone volcano . There are also two other volcanoes in the centre of the North Island. Cook Strait, 20 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, separates the North and South Islands.
The climate throughout the country is mild and temperate, mainly maritime , with temperatures rarely falling below 0 'C or rising above 30 'C in populated areas. its isolation from continental (influences and exposure to cold southerly winds and ocean currents) give(s) the climate a much milder character . In winter the South Island mountains and central North Island have heavy snowfalls.
New Zealand has about 4,3 million people. The population is unevenly distributed. Three fourths of New Zealanders live on warmer North Island and about 84 per cent of the people live in urban areas and about half of these in the four largest cities. The largest centre with over 1 million inhabitants is Auckland.
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In 1642, the Dutch sailor Abel Tasman visited New Zealand and named it Zeeland. After Captain James Cook’s exploration of New Zealand in the late 18th century , an increasing number of settlers came to New Zealand. In 1840, an agreement was signed between the British Crown and Maori. It established British law in New Zealand. As more and more settlers arrived , conflicts over land led to several wars between the British and Maori in the North Island. The South Island remained rather peaceful until in 1863 gold was found there, and thousands of people hurried to New Zealand to look for gold.
New Zealand became a separate colony in 1841 . In 1907, New Zealand became an independent Dominion, and a fully independent nation in 1947. British culture dominated New Zealand life throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. However , since World War II, New Zealand has moved towards its own unique national identity and place in the world.
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of New Zealand.
In 1893, New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote.
New Zealand's economy has traditionally been based on exports from its very efficient agricultural system. With warm temperatures and a lot of rain, New Zealand is a great place for farms of all kinds. For every person living in New Zealand there are twenty sheep and three cows. That is why New Zealand sells more meat from these animals , and more butter, than any other country, and also a lot of wool . Other traditional exports include wood , paper , fruit and vegetables, and fish . In the last few decades wine has also become important .
New Zealand has substantial hydroelectric power and fairly large reserves of natural gas. The leading manufacturing sectors are food processing, metal fabrication, and wood and paper products. Its main trading partners are Australia, the US, Japan , and China .
New Zealand is one of the top holiday destinations in the world with its clean green natural image , scenery , Lord of the Rings film setting , adventure and culture.
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About 80-100 million years ago, New Zealand drifted away from the massive supercontinent of Gondwanaland into the South Pacific. Since then, a unique flora and fauna has evolved, with a large number of beautiful native birds and plants , as well as direct descendants of prehistoric wildlife , including the tuatara, weta (the world’s heaviest insect ), and giant snail. As Time magazine said, New Zealand is an “ultimate storehouse for discontinued zoological models”.
A reptile with links to the dinosaur , the native tuatara is found mainly on islands around New Zealand’s coast. Every species of this reptile family, except the tuatara, died out around 65 million years ago. Tuatara can live for over 100 years, and were once found throughout New Zealand. Now only around 30,000 are found on protected offshore islands. They are about 60 cm long and have a third “eye” on the top of heir heads; tuataras sleep during the winter, and they use the third eye to wake themselves up in spring .
New Zealand’s moa was the only wingless bird ever known . The giant moa, one of eleven species of moa, was also the tallest known, standing up to 3 metres. Maori hunted moa, and it is believed the birds became extinct around 400 years ago.
A kiwi is a flightless nocturnal native bird, and the national bird of New Zealand. It is now endangered , and difficult to see in the wild . However, there are a number of ‘kiwi houses ’ at zoos and wildlife parks. While they may look cute, kiwi can be fierce and highly territorial. However, over the years, New Zealanders have become known as ‘Kiwis’ as well. Just to confuse you, the kiwifruit is often called a ‘kiwi’ in Europe and America.
Maori culture is a rich and varied one, and includes traditional and contemporary arts. Traditional arts such as carving, weaving, group performance , oratory and tattoo are practised throughout the country. Today Maori culture also includes art, film , television, poetry , theatre, and hip-hop. Lots of Maori people have drawings on their body and each one have its unique tattoo. The carvings are very detailed.
Symbols
The Flag of new zealand has a union jack in the top left corner and four red stars with white borders to the right. The stars represent the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross, as seen from New Zealand.
The  Coat of Arms of New Zealand is the official symbol of New Zealand. The initial coat of arms was granted by King George V on the 26 August 1911, and the current version was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956.
It has a quartered shield . In the first quarter there are four stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation. In the second quarter, there is a golden fleece representing the farming industry, in the third, a wheat sheaf representing agriculture , and in the fourth two hammers representing mining and industry.. The shield is supported by the European woman and a Maori man. And above the shield there is Edvard's Crown.
God Defend New Zealand is one of the national anthems of New Zealand.
God Save the Queen is one of the national anthems of New Zealand.
Kiwi­ - it is a flightless bird that live in New Zealand.
Kiwiana
Public holidays
2010
1 Jan - 2 Jan New Year .
6 Feb Waitangi Day.
2 Apr - 5 Apr  Easter .
25 Apr ANZAC Day.
7 Jun Queen's Birthday.
27 Oct  Labour Day.
25 Dec  Christmas Day.
26 Dec  Boxing Day.
New Zealand
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