NEW ZEALAND is off the coast of Australia.
Capital Wellington
41°17′S 174°27′E / 41.283°S 174.45°E / -41.283; 174.45
Largest city Auckland
Official language(s) Māori (4.2%)[n 2]
NZ Sign Language (0.6%)
National language English (98%)
Ethnic groups 78% European/Other[n 3]
14.6% Māori
9.2% Asian
6.9% Pacific peoples
Demonym New Zealander,
Kiwi (colloquial)
Government Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
- Monarch Elizabeth II
- Governor-General Jerry Mateparae
- Prime Minister John Key
Independence from the United Kingdom[n 4]
- 1st Parliament 25 May 1854
- Dominion 26 September 1907
- Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931 (adopted 25 November 1947)
- Constitution Act 1986 13 December 1986
Area
- Total 268,021 km2 (75th)
103,483 sq mi
Population
December 2010 estimate 4,393,500
New Zealand (Aotearoa in Māori) is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga.
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