10 Things To Know About New Zealand

New Zealand is an small island country in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean. It composes of two main landmasses – the North Island and the South Island.

Below are the 10 things to know about New Zealand

1.   New Zealand is one of the most picturesque places on planet Earth located approximately 1500 KM east of Australia.

2.   New Zealand was one of the last countries to be found and settled, because of the relative remoteness and as such it has a population of just over 4.5 Million people.

3.   New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy under England and even though the Island country was discovered late, it was the first country in the world to give voting rights to women in 1893.

4.  It is believed that Eastern Polynesians were the first to inhabit the islands between 1250 – 1300 and slowly, but surely, they developed their own distinct culture known all over the world as ‘Maori’.

5. Abel Tasman, A Dutch explorer was the first European to set foot in 1643, but a hostile encounter with local Maori resulted in Europeans coming only after 1769.

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6. It was then that James Cook mapped the entire coastline and opened the Gateway, But during the 19th century, there were frequent altercations between Maori and the British.

7.  Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, but Auckland is the largest city and the most ethnically diverse in the country too.

8. The National symbol of the country is a native flightless bird called ‘KIWI’, and new Zealanders affectionately are known as kiwis too.

9. Primary export industries include: Agriculture Horticulture, fishing forestry and mining.

10. The climate is complex, to say the least, but the general climate is mild in the far North subtropical and the south is much cooler