Universities
Connect Overseas guide for New Zealand.
New Zealand, aka Aotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud. New Zealand (NZ) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean located about 2000 km (1,300 mi) south east of Australia. The island-nation consists of some smaller islands and two main islands, the North Island (Te-Ika-a-Maui), and the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu) which are separated by the Cook Strait. New Zealand shares maritime borders with Australia, and the island nations of Fiji, and Tonga.
New Zealand’s islands are the surface area of the continent of Zealandia. Zealandia, now for the most part submerged, was formerly a large portion of the super-continent of Gondwanaland. The geopolitical entity of the Realm of New Zealand comprises New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue (an island), Tokelau (some coral atolls) and the Ross Dependency, a region in Antarctica.
With an area of 270,467 km², the country is slightly larger than the United Kingdom (242,900 km²), or about the size of the US State of Colorado. New Zealand has a population of 4.7 million people (beginning 2017). Capital is Wellington, largest city is Auckland. Spoken languages are English (95%) and Māori, the language of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand.
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of democracy in the line of most commonwealth states. The queen of England is the monarch and head of the state for New Zealand even though the law making and executive power is based in the parliament. New Zealand has one of the most pleasant climates to live in; it has a mild and temperate maritime climate. The level of rainfall however varies from region to region making the geographical landscape diverse. The country’s isolation for millions of years has enabled presence of many exotic species making the country very rich in flora and fauna. This attracts both travelers and biology researcher from across the globe. New Zealand’s major cultural identity is shaped primarily by Maori and the European heritage. Even though the cities enjoy cosmopolitan culture and way of life, the tribal circles would show distinctive differences between the Maori and NZ European societies. However, with globalization, influence of immigrants of other origin such as Asia, North America and the Pacific is increasingly becoming visible making New Zealand multicultural. In general, New Zealand has a friendly, polite and outgoing population though may be somewhat reserved initially towards outsiders. The country is known for the ubiquitous environmental consciousness and sense of social equality. The country doesn’t have a formal class structure and people take pride in individual achievements and contributions rather than social status. With a low population density, all New Zealanders and visitors have great access to a wide range of sporting facilities, such as golf courses and other cultural and recreation centers. Adventurous spirit is contagious in Kiwi culture and people love outdoor activities including picnics and beach based leisure activities.
