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Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
(1952)
Governor-General: Anand Satyanand
(2006)
Prime Minister: John Key
(2008)
Current government officials
Land area: 103,734 sq mi (268,671 sq km);
total area: 103,737 sq mi (268,680 sq km)
Population (2008 est.): 4,154,311
(growth rate: 0.9%); birth rate: 13.4/1000; infant mortality rate:
5.5/1000; life expectancy: 79.1; density per sq km: 15
Capital (2003 est.):
Wellington, 342,500 (metro. area), 165,100
(city proper)
Largest cities: Auckland, 369,300
(metro. area), 359,500 (city proper); Christchurch, 334,100
Monetary unit: New Zealand dollar
Languages:
English, Maori (both official)
Ethnicity/race:
European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Pacific Islander
4.4%, Asian 5.7%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8%
(2001)
Religions:
Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 12%, Presbyterian
11%, Methodist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Baptist 1%, other Christian 9%,
none 26% (2001)
National Holiday:
Waitangi Day, February 6
Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007
est.): $111.7 billion; per capita $26,400. Real growth rate:
3%. Inflation: 2.4%. Unemployment: 3.6%. Arable
land: 6%. Agriculture: wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses,
fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, lamb and mutton, dairy products;
fish. Labor force: 2.23 million: services 74%, industry 19%,
agriculture 7% (2006). Industries: food processing, wood and
paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment,
banking and insurance, tourism, mining. Natural resources:
natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold,
limestone. Exports: $28.12 billion (2007 est.): dairy
products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery.
Imports: $29.83 billion (2007 est.): machinery and equipment,
vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics.
Major trading partners: Australia, U.S., Japan, China, UK,
Singapore, Germany (2006).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines
in use: 1.729 million (2005); mobile cellular: 3.53 million (2005).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998).
Radios: 3.75 million (1997). Television broadcast
stations: 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650
low-power repeaters) (1997). Televisions: 1.926 million
(1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1.433 million
(2007). Internet users: 3.2 million (2006).
Transportation: Railways: total: 4,128
km (2006). Highways: total: 92,931 km; paved: 59,783 km
(includes 171 km of expressways); unpaved: 33,148 km (2003).
Waterways: 1,609 km; of little importance to transportation.
Ports and harbors: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga,
Wellington. Airports: 121 (2007).
International disputes: territorial
claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency).
Major sources and definitions
Cook Islands and Overseas Territories
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