New Zealand
New Zealand is a country of two large islands and many smaller islands in the south-western Pacific Ocean. It is also known as Aotearoa in the Maori language, or the Land of the Long White Cloud. New Zealand is notable for its isolation, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea.
The population of New Zealand is mostly of European descent, with Maori being the largest minority. Officially, Elizabeth II is the Queen of New Zealand and is represented in the country by a non-political Governor-General; however, the Queen has no real political influence. Political power is held by the Prime Minister who is leader of the Government in the democratically elected Parliament of New Zealand. The dramatic and varied landscape of New Zealand has made it a popular location for the production of television programmes and films, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
British Commonwealth – Brytyjska Wspólnota Narodów
The South Pacific – południowy Pacyfik
European descent – pochodzenie europejskie
Maoris – Maorysi, autochtoniczni mieszkańcy Nowej Zelandii
minority – mniejszość
Wellington – stolica Nowej Zelandii
Auckland – największe miasto
Sources:
Jagiełło J. and M. Lech. 2007. New Zealand. Cogito, 3(47), p.33.
New Zealand
New Zealand is situated in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia. The country is made up of two large islands – North Island and South Island and numerous smaller islands. It covers an area of 270,990 square kilometres.
New Zealand has over 4 million citizens. Wellington, located on the North Island, is the capital city. Some other major cities include: Auckland, with the biggest population over 100,000, Christchurch and Hamilton. The official currency is New Zealand dollar. New Zealand is a generally mountainous country with several large regions of plains. The main mountain ranges of North Island extend along the eastern side. A volcanic chain in the north central region has a few active volcanic peaks. Numerous mineral hot springs are found in the Lake Taupo district. The principal mountain line of South Island is the Southern Alps.
The massif extends for almost the entire length of the island.
Mount Cook (3, 764 metres) is the highest point in New Zealand.
The coast is indented by deep fiords. North Island has numerous rivers, most of which rise in the eastern and central mountains. The Waikato River, New Zealand’s longest river, flows north out of Lake Taupo, its largest lake, and empties into the Tasman Sea in the west. New Zealand’s climate is generally mild, and seasonal differences are not great. The north end of the Auckland Penisula has the warmest weather. The coldest weather occurs on the southwestern slopes of the Southern Alps. Rainfall is generally moderate to abundant and usually exceeds 508 millimetres annually. The average temperature on both islands varies between 23ºC in January and 6ºC in July.
Major industries of New Zealand include food processing, machinery, chemicals, manufacture of wood and paper, mining, printing and tourism. New Zealand is a world-leading producer and exporter of wool, lamb and mutton meat.
Other exports include beef, fruit, vegetables, fish, dairy products, chemicals and textiles. The major natural resources are gas, iron ore, sand, coal, petroleum, limestone and timber.
Source:
Matasek, M. 2006. Język angielski. Słownictwo. Tematyczny zbiór ćwiczeń (2).
Poznań: Wydawnictwo Handybooks. p. 165.
New Zealand Factfile
Government
New Zealand is a democratic country with its own parliament. However, it is part of the British Commonwealth, and therefore the official head of state is Elizabeth II, the queen of England, Scotland and Wales. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give vote to women in 1893, to have old age pensions and the eight-hour working day.
Geography
New Zealand, in the South Pacific, consists of two large islands plus other smaller islands with an area of 270,000 sq km. North Island has a warm climate and there is quite a lot of volcanic activity. South Island is cooler and has a higher rainfall. In the South Island there are The Southern Alps with Mount Cook (3754 m) the highest mountain in New Zealand.
Economy
New Zealand has some industry but agriculture is more important – there are 55 million sheep, 8 million cows and 1 million goats in New Zealand!
Wildlife
New Zealand was cut off from the rest of the land on Earth for 80 million years and has some unique animals and plants. The tuatara is a reptile that has survived from the era of the dinosaurs. The weta is the largest and heaviest insect in the world and the kiwi (the symbol of New Zealand) is a large bird which cannot fly.
The people
Over 80% of the 3.6 million people are of European (mainly British) origin.
Around 9% of the population are Maoris – who came to New Zealand from Polynesia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The two official languages in the country are English and Maori.
Lifestyle
New Zealanders, who are also known as ‘Kiwis’, are relaxed people who love the outdoor life. It is not surprising that New Zealand is successful at many sports.
Its national sport is rugby and its team, ‘The All Blacks perform a ‘haka’, a Maori war dance, to frighten the opposing team!
Places to visit
New Zealand has beautiful landscapes. In North Island, the Bay of Islands has lovely old forests and beautiful beaches and the Coromandel is perfect for sailing and watersports. Rotorua is the centre of Maori culture and has wonderful hot springs. In South Island, the Southern Alps, the West Coast region and the national park of Fiordland all have beautiful scenery.
Source:
Harris, M., D. Mower and A. Sikorzyńska. 2000. Opportunities. Pre-intermediate student's book. Longman. p. 83.
Another interesting source to read and watch:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/new-zealand/
