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New Zealand facts for kidsNew Zealand is a country over 1,000 miles south-east of Australia. Most of New Zealand is made up of two large islands, called North Island and South Island. It contains several other islands, but they are very small. New Zealand is almost as big as the British Isles. More than nine-tenths of all New Zealanders were born in the British Isles, or are descended from British and Irish people who settled in New Zealand. North Island, where two-thirds of all New Zealanders live, extends about 500 miles from north to south. Its low mountains and hills include two active volcanoes. South Island is separated from North Island by the 16-mile-wide Cook Strait. From the Strait, the Southern Alps stretch south-westwards for more than 500 miles throughout the island. New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook, rises from this range.
Several bays and beaches lie along New Zealand's 4,300-mile-long coastline. The country has several rivers. Most of them flow so swiftly down steep slopes that boats cannot use them. New Zealand has many scenic lakes and waterfalls. In addition to active volcanoes, New Zealand has other natural features associated with volcanic activity. On North Island is a region where hot springs and boiling mud pools are found. Some of the hot springs are geysers, which periodically shoot up a tall column of hot water and steam.
New Zealand has a mild climate. In January the country's mid-summer temperature averages about 68° F (20° C). In July, temperatures drop to about 42° F (6° C). Rainfall is very varied, averaging between 20 and 200 inches in various parts of the islands. New Zealand has several species of rare birds. The tail-less kiwi is often used as a symbol for the country. About 7 people out of every 100 are Maoris, who are descendants of the Polynesian people who sailed to the islands about 700 years ago. Many marriages have occurred between Maoris and Europeans. The official language of New Zealand is English, but the Maoris also have their own language. The religion of the country is Christianity. New Zealand is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. It was one of the earliest countries to introduce social reforms and a social security system, including old age pensions. The mild climate allows New Zealanders to enjoy much outdoor life in their leisure time, to a far greater extent than their parents or grandparents did in Britain. Popular recreation includes athletics, cricket and rugby football. Most New Zealanders live in small towns or villages. Only Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington, the capital, have more than 100,000 people.
New Zealand facts for kids: Above left: The cathedral at Christchurch, on South Island. Above right: A climbing party negotiates an icebridge in Mt. Cook National Park. New Zealanders are fond of outdoor recreations Half of New Zealand's area is farmland, and the country exports butter, lamb, fruit and other food products, especially to Britain. New Zealand has fertile soil. Farmers grow grains for consumption within the country. Because the most modern methods of farming are used, only a sixth of the country's people work on the land. Two-thirds of the people work in manufacturing and processing industries of various kinds. Much electrical power comes from hydroelectric plants, which harness the power of New Zealand's rushing rivers. The fishing industry is also important but employs few people. Forests cover about a fifth of New Zealand. Most of the forests were planted in the 1920s. The country's mineral wealth includes coal, iron ore, gold, limestone, natural gas, silver and tungsten. Road, rail, sea and air transport is good in New Zealand, and almost every family has a car. Geographically remote from other countries, New Zealand has good air and sea connections with the rest of the world. The tourist who has visited the country can order the rental car in New Zealand The earliest-known people in New Zealand were Morioris - a Polynesian people. They were conquered in about the 1300's by another Polynesian people, Maoris, who settled mainly on the coastal parts of North Island. Abel Tasman, commander of a ship sailing for the Dutch East India Company, sighted New Zealand in 1642. The Dutch named the islands after Zeeland, a province in the Netherlands. The Dutch kept their discovery secret. James Cook, a British sea captain, found and charted the island in 1769. But the British took little interest in the country for the next 70 years. In 1839, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a British statesman, who had formed a New Zealand Company, sent a group of British colonists to settle on the islands. The first colonists settled at Wellington. To protect them, the British government incorporated New Zealand into their Australian colony of New South Wales. In 1840, Maori chiefs signed a treaty accepting British rule, and in 1841 New Zealand became a colony independent of Australia. Disputes about land led to war between the Maoris and the settlers in 1845-1848. Fighting occurred again in the 1860's and 1870's. In 1907, New Zealand became an independent dominion within the British empire. Its troops fought in Europe in both World Wars. More recently New Zealand has sent troops into Vietnam to support the Australian and United States forces.
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Wikipedy.com @ - Online Encyclopedia |
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