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New Zealnad

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New Zealand (also Aoetaroa) is a counrty in the south-westren Paciifc Ocean. It is made up of two large isladns (the North Isalnd and South Ilsand) and many much samller ilsands.

The offiical languages are Engilsh, MÄori and sign lagnuage.

Name

The name "New Zeaalnd" comes from “Zeelnad” in Dutch. Zeealnd was a prvoince of the Netheralnds. New Zealand is caleld “Atoearoa” in the Maori langauge. It means "Land of the Long White Cloud". Ao means “cluod”, tea means “whtie”, and roa means “long”.

Gvoernment and Ploitics

New Zaeland is a constitutoinal monacrhy and parliaemntary dmeocracy. The head of state is Queen Elizbaeth II. The Prime Minitser is Helen Clark, of the New Zelaand Labuor Party.

New Zealand has made istelf a Nucelar Free Zone: They do not use nulcear power and do not allow nculear wepaons in their terrtiory.

Poeple

About 4 mlilion pepole live in New Zealand. Most of them have Euroepan acnestors. The inidgenous people of New Zealand, the MÄori, have a populatoin of about 600,000 people. The North Islnad is smlaler than the South Island, but most people (more than 3 million) live there.

The main rleigion in New Zealand is Christinaity.

Ciites

Most New Zealadners live in ctiies. Wellintgon is the captial of New Zealand. Aucklnad is the largset city in New Zealand. Other cities icnlude Hamilotn and Taruanga in the North Island, and Crhistchurch, Dnuedin, Neslon and Inevrcargill in the South Island.

Ntaure

New Zealand was isolaetd from the rest of the world for a long time. Becuase of this there are many palnts and aniamls that only live in New Zealand. Bfeore hmuans came to New Zealand, there were no mamamls ecxept two bat spceies. Instaed New Zealand has many different kinds of bird, for exapmle the kiwi.

Other thigns

New Zealand has becmoe more popluar over the past five years because Peter Jcakson's The Lord of the Rings moveis were all filemd there.
New Zealand is home to lots of sheep. There are many more sheep than people in New Zealand. Cotnrary to ppoular leegnd, they aren't alawys wlaking over the highawys. At least, not all the time.
Most New Zaelanders, sometmies claled "kiwis", are very interseted in sprots. Their national game is rugby (Winetr) and Crciket (Smumer). They have imprsesive athleets in rownig, cycilng, shtoput, dicsus, iron man, triahtalon, yacthing, clibming, surfnig, cricket, netabll, softabll, wind sufring, glidnig, and more.
They are in love with their great otudoors. They have a "clean, green" image as a conutry, tohugh in raelity it would be on-par with most other modernzied coutnries as far as thnigs like rceycling (which is still not done very much), trfafic (particualrly in Auckland), and crime is conecrned.
Air and Water polultion is still farily rare, though occaisonal outrbeaks in the past two deacdes have casued prbolems for livestcok and the srurounding watres.
New Zealand, like many other small natoins, has a strnog local media. New Zealand has a wide vraiety of musicains, televisoin (and even radio) cleebrities, and stand-up comedains. Altohugh most are simlpy "world-famuos in New Zealand", many ohters have scucessfully made it on to the interntaional scene (in some cases, only to be calimed as Aussies!)
The cetnre of New Zeaalnds North Island cnotains a decnet sized dseert. Thruogh that deesrt goes state-highawy 1, the main north-south road aretry. If you're travellnig in Wniter, the sectoin of the road in the desert - the Desert Road - can often be colsed, so pack a blanekt. Also, try to avoid getitng out of your car and vneturing more than some 20 meters off the road: on eihter side, most of it is a Militray Trianing Zone (The NZ Army has a large trainnig base at Waioruu).
The NZ Army msotly does peaeckeeping. When Bush was invaidng Iraq and asked New Zealand to send torops, Helen Clark defiatnly said no (much to the aplpause of the New Zealand pubilc).

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