New+Zealand



//New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific. It combines two main islands and a great number of small islands. The nature, which often gives the country the name the "Green Island", and the outstanding bird kiwi, are just two of the things which are making New Zealand to an remarkable country.// //The name "New Zealand" actually comes from the name of the Dutch province "Zeeland". On the other hand, the common Mãori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, which is translated to "the Land of the Long White Cloud".//



__**The abbreviated history of New Zealand**__ New Zealand has the shortest human history we know. These are the milestones in the history of New Zealand, the home of the thousand sheep.

//The first humans// As far as we know today, the first people arrived in New Zealand somewhere around 1200/1300 AD. These people had sailed in waka (canoes) from East-Polynesia. A Dutch explorer, named Abel Tasman, discovered New Zealand in 1642. Still, people first really started showing interest in this country when James Cook, an English navigator, mapped the country in 1769-70.When the Europeans came, the Polynesians chose the collective name Mãori, meaning ordinary.

//Colonization// As more settlers arrived, the British government decided to gain more control over the country. In 1840 the government invited Mãori chiefs from all around the country to sign a treaty named the "Treaty of Waitangi" with the British Crown. The treaty said that the Mãori had given their government powers to Britain, in return of land and other rights.

//Independence// Somewhere around 1870 the industrialization came to New Zealand as well. Owing to this towns came into being and railways were built. In 1907, New Zealand became a dominion. Still, the country first beame fully independent in 1947. Altough New Zealand wasn't a colony anymore, it fought on Britains side both during the First and the Second World War. In 1975 the government started to care about how bad the Mãoris were treated, although New Zealand had been independent for many years. At that point, they started to build up again their culture and language.

//An English speaking country// New Zealand is an English-speaking country because when the British government overtook the power, they let their "own" people get all the important jobs. Therefore, those who wanted to communicate with their employers had to learn to speak and understand English. This state has two official languages (except from the NZ Sign Language, spoken by 0,6% of the population). These languages are English, spoken by 98% of the population, and Mãori, spoken by 4,2%. This means that only 2,2% of the population speaks more than one of the official languages.

These versions of the national anthem illustrates the difference between the two languages:



New Zealand actually has two national anthems. One of them is Britain's national anthem, "God Save the Queen".The Music in this video is the national anthem "God Defend New Zealand":

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 * __Geography__**

New Zealand is a mountainous group of islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. There are two main islands that are called the North and South islands in English, and Te-Ika-a-Maui and Te Wai Pounamu in Mãori. However, no point on the islands is more than 130 kilometers from the coast. In addition the distance from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island is 1 930 km. There is also a group of smaller islands that are located around the two main islands. The entire group of islands are located 1 930 kilometers east of Australia. New Zealand is positioned in Oceania, the smallest of the six continents in our world.

//Landmarks// The biggest mountain in New Zealand is Mount Cook, which lies at the South Island. The highest point is 3754 meters above the sea. The highest mountain on the North Island is Mount Ruapehu. Actually this is an active cone volcano. New Zealand is well-known for being a mountainous group of islands, so there are many other mountains on the islands. Worth mentioning are Mount Terawera, Mount Tongariro and Mount Tarawera Crater, that are some of the big well-known mountains. There are also a lot of lakes and waterfalls in New Zealand. Some of the biggest and most known of the waterfalls are Kerikeri Rainbow Falls, Huka Falls Taupo, Purakaunui and Waipunnga Falls. The biggest and most known lakes are Lake Rotorua, Lake okatania and Lake Taupo-Full.

//Cities// The capital city of New Zealand is Wellington. The city lies at the southern tip of the North Island. The biggest city is Auckland and like Wellington it lies at the North Island and has 1,3 million inhabitants, which is over a quarter of the country's population. These are the two largest cities, but there are many other large cities that can be mentioned like Christchurch, Hamilton, Dunedin and Tauranga.




 * __Relations between New Zealand and Britain__**

New Zealand is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. Though it is independent from the UK, New Zealand is a part of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 independent states. This means that the British Queen is the Queen of New Zealand too. Nearly all of the member states of the Commonwealth were formerly under British Rule. Since the Queen is the Head of the Commonwealth, she chooses a Governor General to act in her place in New Zealand. The Governor General is chosen on the advice of the Prime Minister, who currently is Helen Clark. The Governor General of today is Anyand Satyanand. The Queen's representative only has symbolic and ceremonial roles and does not involve in the running of the government.

//Tradition, society and culture// In New Zealand there is a high proportion of people who are born overseas. Three-quarters of the four million inhabitants are of European descent. It is a highly multicultural nation with Asians, Pacific Islanders, Europeans and others as the founders of its society. European and Mãori traditions are mingling with those of the other countries from which immigrants have arrived. New immigrants have brought a wide range of cuisines, language and customs. The creative arts of New Zealand come from the traditions of both Mãori culture and British culture. There is a growing number of Mãori artists today. The New Zealand school system is clearly influenced by the British settlers. Primary school and secondary school, which runs from the age of 5 till the age of 16, are compulsory both in England and New Zealand. The government is paying for education and hospitals, and the most common religion is Christianity. American and global culture can be seen in everything from computers to clothes, as in the rest of the world.



Sources: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4913.asp http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=7481&data=l http://uk.internationalstudent.com/study_uk/education_system/ http://history-nz.org/ http://www.zealand.org.nz/history.htm http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107834.html http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandInBrief/History/en http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandInBrief/History/en?shortstory=true http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maori http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/CanoeNavigation/en http://www.nz.com/new-zealand/guide-book/ http://www2.auckland.ac.nz/info/schools/nzplants/res_ani_facts.htm http://www3.nationalgeographic.co.uk/places/countries/country_newzealand.html <-- god http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/new-zealand/new-zealand-overview/new-zealand-geography.html http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/G/GeologyNewZealandsGeologicalHistory/Introduction/en http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lakes_in_New_Zealand

Made by Elisa, Helga and Carina