National Flag:
Blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag. New Zealand was a colony of Great Britain, hence the Union Jack. The stars represent the constallation of the Southern Cross which corresponds to the southern geographical position of New Zealand.
Capital: Wellington
Langauges: English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
Currency: New Zealand Dollar
Main Industries:
Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. Main industries include food processing, dairy products, sheep farming, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism and mining.
Did You Know?
- The Maoris who emigrated from eastern Polynesia were the first settlers in New Zealand.
- Polynesia refers to a group of over 1000 islands close to New Zealand.
- The Maoris call New Zealand Ao tearoa ‘the land of the long white cloud’ because it often rains there.
- A hongi is a traditional Maori greeting. It involves pressing noses.
- The ‘haka’ is a traditional war-dance ritual performed by the national rugby team before a match.
- The New Zealanders are often called ‘Kiwis’. The Kiwi is a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand.
- The kiwi fruit, often referred to as a ‘Chinese gooseberry’ grows on a vine.
- New Zealand was the location for the popular film ‘Lord of the Rings’.
