NEW ZEALAND the catch exported to the Asian

market.
New Zealand is an extremely The population of New
beautiful country, situated to the south- Zealand is over 3.5 million
west of Australia, midway between the people. The capital of the
Equator and the South Pole. It comprises country is Wellington. The city
2 large islands: North Island and South was founded in 1840. There are
Island, and numerous smaller islands, some big cities as: Auckland,
including Stewart Island and the Wellington, Christchurch,
Chatham Island. The area of New Dunedin, Nelson.
Zealand is about 270.000 square
kilometers. The country has the same size The cities resemble very much with those of England
as Japan, or Great Britain but with a tiny that is why it is sometimes called “Britain of the
population. Pacific”.
New Zealand is a mountainous English and Maori are the official languages,
country. The highest peak is Mount Cook. There are many rivers and lakes in although it is predominantly English-speaking. New
the country. The main rivers are the Zealand is a parliamentary democracy. The Parliament
Waikato and the Wairu. consists of one House only: the House of
Like other regions separated Representatives. The head of the country is the British
from the rest of the world for a long monarch represented by the Governor-General.
period of time, New Zealand has
developed a distinct flora. About 75%
of the native flora is unique and it
includes some of the world’s oldest
plant forms: kauri
(one of the largest
trees in the world), forget-me-not, fern, Nikau palm, etc.
Among the most notable of New Zealand’s fauna is kiwi.
These birds have very short wings and cannot fly. Many
years ago they were hunted for food. Now kiwi is the
symbol of New Zealand. Small children are often called
kiwis. An interesting fact is that there are no snakes in
New Zealand. The climate in the country is warm and the Kea (alpine parrot)
greatest part is well watered. The climate is called Silvereye
oceanic, without extremes of heat or cold.
New Zealand is rich in mineral resources: coal,
gold, sand, clay, natural gas, timber, iron. Agriculture is
the major employer of wealth in the country. Fishing has
an economic importance for New Zealand with much of