Independence Year : 1907
Population : 3862000
Life Expectancy : 77.8
Capital : 3499
GNP : 54669.00
GNP Old : 64960.00
Local Name : New Zealand/Aotearoa
Government Form : Constitutional Monarchy
Location : Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
Terrain : Varied, from snowcapped mountains to lowland plains.
Climate : with sharp regional contrasts from temperate to subtropical
Ethnic Group : European 75%, Maori 15%, other Polynesian 6.5%.
Religions : Christian
Official Website :
www.govt.nz
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General Information - New Zealand
Background
The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples.
The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars.
New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s.
In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
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