New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific . Geographically, this country, which was declared a British colony in 1840 and became a dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1907 , consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands . New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state (represented by Governor-General, Lady Patsy Reddy) and a one-room parliament with 121 delegates.
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| Capital | Wellington |
| Dialing code | +64 |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar ($) (NZD) |
| Population | 4.794 million (2017) |
| Prime minister | Jacinda Ardern |
| National language | English |
Facts
- In 1645 Dutch cartographers named the islands to the province of Zeeland Nova Zeelandia . This designation was Anglicized in 1769 by British explorer James Cook to New Zealand .
- New Zealand is located south of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere , and its islands form remote areas in the southwestern Pacific. This country is usually considered by Oceania (especially when this geographical term also includes Australia), but sometimes also considered part of Polynesia from a more specific geographical and cultural point of view. Due to the cultural similarities with Australia, New Zealand is also considered on this continent.
- The 113,729 square kilometer North Island is the most densely populated island of New Zealand with more than 3.6 million inhabitants. Here, about three-quarters of the total population and about ninety percent of the Māori population are concentrated, and both the capital Wellington as well as the largest city in the country, Auckland, are located on this island.
