New Zealand is located 1,500 km east of Australia between parallels 34 and 47 ° S. w. This is the only group of islands in Oceania that lies in subtropical and temperate latitudes.

The region includes two large islands - the North and the South, separated by the Cook Strait and several small islands. Their total area is 268.7 thousand square meters. km, it is slightly less than the area of \u200b\u200bthe British Isles.

The northern island (115 thousand sq. Km.) Is less mountainous and is mainly composed of Mesozoic sediments. A low mountain range runs along its southeastern outskirts, and the central part is a volcanic plateau with an average height of 600 m, among which active and extinct volcanoes rise. The cones of the volcanoes are shallow; some of them have craters occupied by lakes. The highest peak of the North Island is the active volcano Ruapehu (2797 g). The surface of the plateau is covered with volcanic products - lava, tuffs and pumice. Widespread mud volcanoes and geysers, which are one of the attractions of New Zealand. Some geysers throw out pillars of hot water and steam several hundred meters high.

In the northwest of the island, a peninsula protrudes far into the sea, on which several extinct volcanoes rise.

The coastline of the North Island is strongly dissected and forms many convenient bays.

The climate of New Zealand is oceanic, with a uniform distribution of precipitation throughout the year and a smooth course of temperatures.

The whole area is influenced by western cyclonic air currents. Almost throughout the territory, the western circulation operates throughout the year, and only on the Auckland Peninsula in the summer the effect of the southeast trade wind is manifested and there is a dry period. On the eastern slopes of the Southern Alps, hairdryers often blow.

Westerly winds bring a lot of moisture to the islands, especially in winter on the west coast, where up to 5,000 mm of precipitation falls in some areas, with an average amount of 2,000 mm. In the east, under the protection of mountains that impede the penetration of moist winds, the annual precipitation is reduced to 500-700 mm. In most of the territory, precipitation falls all year round in the form of rain, but in the very south in winter there are frequent snowfalls. In the mountains at an altitude of more than 2000 m above sea level, precipitation is almost exclusively snowy. The Southern Alps are a major center of modern glaciation. Their high snow peaks with powerful glaciers are visible from the sea at a great distance.

The air temperatures in New Zealand are uniform throughout the year, but vary quite significantly from north to south. On the northern island, winter is very warm. The average July temperature on the Auckland Peninsula reaches + 12 °, on the South Island - only + 5 °, in the mountains it drops to -2 ° and there are frosts up to 12 °; on the coast, temperature drops are possible to -5 °.

The average January temperature varies from 19 ° in the north to 14 ° in the south. High heat in New Zealand usually does not happen. Only in the north, when the trade wind blows, does the temperature rise to 30 °.

New Zealand's water network is dense. The rivers are short, like the rivers of the British Isles (the length of the longest river is only 350 km), but high-water, without sharp fluctuations in level. They originate in the mountains, where they form rapid rapids streams with large reserves of water energy.

In the lower reaches, within the Canterbury Plain or on hilly plateaus, rivers branch into branches and pile up ramparts and spits that impede navigation. Therefore, their transport significance is small, they are used for local shipping only in certain areas. During rains and violent thawing of snow and ice on the eastern slope of the mountains, due to the hair dryers of the Canterbury Plain, they spill over. This is the only area in the region that is seriously affected by floods.

There are many lakes in New Zealand. The Southern Alps are especially rich in them, where glacial lakes abound, complementing the picture of the glacial landscape. These are deep basins formed in the extensions of glacial-tectonic valleys and somewhat reminiscent of the Alps lakes. Tectonic and volcanic lakes prevail on the North Island.

New Zealand is a forested area. According to the composition of the flora, it is so peculiar that it is allocated in a special subregion of the Paleotropic region. Along with a large number of endemic forms, representatives of the Australian and Antarctic flora are widespread in New Zealand.

In the far north of the North Island, vegetation is, in accordance, subtropical. This region is characterized by forests from the endemic New Zealand kauri pine (Agathis australis) with a thick trunk up to 3 m thick. The rest of the region, with its constantly humid climate, is covered by ancient relic evergreen forests that rise up to the mountains more than 1000 m. These forests do not similar to the forests of temperate latitudes and the oceanic climate of the northern hemisphere, neither in their floristic composition nor in appearance. Numerous conifers grow in them - araucaria, or echidruses, various endemic pines (red, white, yellow), evergreen southern beeches, even some palm trees. Dense undergrowth is formed by tree-like ferns, the forest is entwined with vines, abounds with mosses and lichens, and in many respects resembles a moist forest of tropical latitudes in appearance. Especially dense forests grow in the west of the South Island, to the east, the vegetation takes on a more xerophilic appearance.

On the eastern slopes and on the Canterbury Plain, forests are rarefied, and then pass into bushes of bushes and upland meadows with grass and grasses, which the local population calls “steppes”. Bogs occupy large areas; a peculiar endemic from the lily family is found on them - New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax), which is a valuable fibrous plant.

Forests are depleted and rarefied when elevated to the mountains. Above 1400 m in the south and 1200 m in the north, deciduous trees and shrubs appear, even higher - alpine meadows from ordinary plants of the alpine zone. In addition to them, in the alpine zone, peculiar plants in the form of pillows are distributed, which received the local name "plant sheep".

There are almost no wild mammals in New Zealand. Representatives of avifauna can be considered only bats and forest rats. Europeans brought in rabbits and cats that went wild. Wild cats almost completely destroyed the wonderful representatives of the ancient bird fauna - wingless kiwi. There are also wingless parrots and Sultan chicken on the islands; giant moa ostriches, whose eggs are about 140 times larger than chicken, have become extinct relatively recently. In the summer, some migratory birds fly from Siberia.

New Zealand is two large islands located in the Pacific Ocean, one and a half thousand kilometers from Australia. The islands of North and South are separated by a strait named Cook, the width of the strait is 107 km. In addition to these main islands, the state owns a number of small islands - Auckland. Kempbel, Antipodes islands and several other islands. From the southwest to the southeast, a mountain chain called the Southern Alps stretches through two islands. Mount Cook, located here is the highest point of New Zealand, and the surrounding mountains glisten with glaciers. Volcanoes occupied the central part of the North Island, three of which are still active today. Here, hot springs flow from under the ground and geysers beat. All this seismological activity is explained by the fact that New Zealand is located at the junction of plates of the lithosphere, which are still troubled. This made the nature of this wonderful country unimaginably multifaceted and turned it into a tourist Mecca. Here you can meet both the already mentioned glaciers and rocky mountains and deep canyons. On the other hand, there are vast plateaus with prehistoric forests, endless beaches stretching along the ocean. A change of landscape in New Zealand will burn the shock of an unusual tourist. Leave the Fox Glacier with an average annual temperature of 12 degrees - and after 120 km you will already be greeted by palm trees. Rain forests stretching along the coastal lowlands are not inferior to the tropical jungle, and the humidity in them is such that water simply flows through the leaves.

The extreme western tip of the South Island is famous for its Fjorland - a country of fjords, which surpasses other states in size. Unlike the fjords of Chile or Norway. The fjords of New Zealand have not yet experienced human activity - this land belongs only to tourists and scientists, and in some places the human foot has not yet set foot here. The largest ornithological discovery of the twentieth century was made here - in 1948, Jeffrey Orbell managed to find a unique bird here. Takache, a bright, flightless bird the size of a goose, has long been considered extinct and was found by chance here in the fjords of New Zealand. In general, it must be said that geographical location of New Zealand  such that it was able to enable the islands to preserve the flora and fauna almost completely intact almost from Jurassic times.

Geographical position

New Zealand is an island state located in the South Pacific, 1813 km away. southeast of Australia, consists of two large islands - the North (114,500 sq. km.) and the South (150,700 sq. km), separated by the Cook Strait, and the small island of Stuart in the south. The closest neighbors of New Zealand are the islands of New Caledinia, Fiji and Tonga. To the Antarctic - 2300 kilometers, to the shores of South America - 10,600 km. The North Island is famous for its subtropical beaches, the South - for the mountains, which occupy 70% of its territory. The New Zealand Islands are part of the volcanic seismic ring encircling the Pacific Ocean.

Each year, 100 or more earthquakes occur in the country. The peaks (the highest are Mount Egmont, 2522 m. And Ruapehu, 2803 m.), Covered with snow, are adjacent to active volcanoes (Tongariro volcano, 1891 m.) And hot mineral springs - geysers. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe country is about 270 thousand square meters. Km

New Zealand Key Facts

Capital of New Zealand: Wellington (Wellington)

New Zealand Square: 269,000 sq km (including the North (115,000 sq. km.) and South (151,000 sq. km.) islands, Stuart and Chatman islands, a number of small islands)

Highest point: Mount Cook / Aoraki - 3,754 m.

New Zealand Coastline: 15, 134 km.

Coastal water area: exclusive economic zone - 200 nautical miles (mm), controlled continental shelf - 200 mm, territorial waters -12 mm.

Time zone: +12 GMT

New Zealand's longest river: Waikato - 425 km.

New Zealand's Largest Natural Pond: Lake Taupo, depth - up to 163 m., area 606 sq. km.

Natural resources: iron ore, gas, oil, gold, coal, wood, quartz sand, wood.

Natural hazards: Frequent, but rarely strong earthquakes, volcanic activity, no snakes and poisonous insects.

Climate of New Zealand: Subtropical in the north, alpine in the mountains and oceanic in all other regions of the country. The average temperature in July (the coldest month of the year) is 5 - 11 degrees Celsius, in January (the warmest month) is 15 -22 degrees.

New Zealand population: 3,800,000 (2000), 84% of the population lives on the North Island, 85% of the population lives in cities.

Population growth: 1.17% (2000 g.)

Fertility rate: 14.28 / 1000 (2000)

Mortality rate: 7.57 / 1000 (2000 g.)

Ethnic groups: Europeans born in New Zealand (Pakeha) 74.5%, Maori 9.8%, other Europeans 4.7%, immigrants from the Pacific Islands 3.8%, immigrants from Asia, etc. 7.4% (2000)

Religion: Anglican Church - 24%, Presbyterians - 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodists - 5%, Baptists - 2%, Protestants - 3%, representatives of other concessions and atheists - 33%

The official language of New Zealand: English, Maori

Life span: men 74.85, women 80.93.

Number of inpatient hospitals: 318

Regional division:

• · North island: Auckland, Bay of Plenty, East Cape, Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua, Manawatu, Northland, Taranaki, Thames Valley, Tongariro, Waikato, Wairarapa, Wanganui, Wellington
• · South island: Aorangi, Canterbury, Clutha-Central Otago, Coastal-North Otago, Marlborough, Nelson Bays, Southland, West Coast.

Currency unit: New Zealand Dollar (NZD)

Public administration system: parliamentary democracy

Managed, dependent and freely associated territories: Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Government structure: Head of State Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 6, 1952), represented in the country by the Governor General of New Zealand Her Excellency The Honorable Dame Silvia Cartwright, PCNZM, DBE, Governor-General of New Zealand.

Parliament: House of Representatives, 120 seats elected by general vote for a three-year term.

Participation in international organizations and treaties: ABEDA, ANZUS (August 11, 1986), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Gross National Product: 85,000,000,000 dollars

Major political parties: New Zealand National Party, Labor Party, First, Alliance, ACT (Association of Consumers and Taxpayers), United.

Electrical system: 230 V, 50 Hz

Phone Code of New Zealand: 64

Telex code: 791

How many people - so many opinions. The hackneyed truth becomes clearer when you have to answer the question "How is life in New Zealand?"

Content
Introduction 2
1 Economic and geographical position of New Zealand 3
2 Natural resource potential of the country 5
3 Stages of development of the territory 9
4 Country population 13
5 New Zealand Economy 22
6 Foreign economic relations of New Zealand 31
Conclusion 37
References 38

Introduction
In this course work on the study of a country called New Zealand, I want to analyze all the components of the country: economic - geographical location, natural resource potential, stages of settlement and development of the country, ethnic composition and population, economy and foreign economic relations of the country. My task is to observe how and under the influence of what factors the economy, population, nature of this country changed, and having analyzed all these data, I can conclude about the state of the country today.

1 Economic and geographical position of New Zealand
New Zealand is a relatively large state located on the eponymous group of islands, stretched meridially for 1700 km., In the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The capital is Wellington. Area 268 680 thousand km. 2. The population is 4 353 674 people. The largest islands are the South and North, separated by the Cook Strait, the islands of Three - Kings, Stuart, Those - Sners, small coastal and more distant (Campbell, Antipodes, Chatham, Bounty, Auckland, Kermadek), as well as the islands of Tokelau (overseas territories), Cook and Niue in the Central Pacific. The shores are cut in places by fjords. The islands are 75% mountainous. The northern island is characterized by active seismic and volcanic activity (numerous geysers, hot springs, volcanic lakes, cones of volcanoes, including active ones - Ruapehu volcano, 2797 m.). In the relief of the South Island, the Southern Alps stand out with the highest point of the country of Cook, 3,764 m., With significant glaciation and many lakes. The climate is subtropical and temperate, humid. Natural vegetation is represented by forests. The country is rich in water resources.
New Zealand is an island nation that does not have land borders with any countries. The nearest countries to which New Zealand borders is Australia (1700 km.), Separated by the Tasman Sea, in the west, and in the north of New Caledonia (1400 km.), Tonga (1800 km.) And Fiji (1900 km.). The coastline is 15,134 kilometers. It has access to the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
All types of water transport are very well developed due to the fact that this country has an island position. Road transport is also developed. Less developed rail transport. This is explained by the fact that frequent earthquakes, mountainous terrain, a large number of lakes and rivers lead to the need for additional construction of motes, tunnels, etc., which naturally affects the country's budget. The two largest ports in the country are Auckland and Wellington. The largest airport is in the city of Auckland, which serves 13 million passengers every year.
New Zealand is located very far from developed countries, which to some extent impedes its development. However, the climatic conditions and active cooperation with other countries enable New Zealand to take an active part in the global economy.

2 Natural resource potential of the country
Despite the fact that the country is rich in natural resources, mining on an industrial scale is carried out only by some minerals - gold, oil, silver, gas, coal and sandstone. According to estimates, in total in the bowels of New Zealand there are more than 300 tons of gold and silver. Sandstone in the country is more than 800 million tons. As for oil, its production has declined sharply lately. Stocks today are about 14 million tons.
Also, clay, zinc, mercury, manganese, chromium, platinum and some others are mined in small quantities. It is worth noting that all jade mining is carried out by the Maori people, since jade plays a special role in the culture and life of this nation.

Figure 1 - Mineral deposits of New Zealand
On the North and South islands of New Zealand there is no place that would be further 130 km from the sea. The shores of the islands are washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, bordered by sand dunes or rocky. The largest bays are Hauraki, Plenty, Hawk, Tasman, Canterbury. Mountains occupy 75% of the territory of these islands: more than 200 peaks above 2280 m .; there are hills and hills. Small islands are mostly hilly and very picturesque. From time immemorial, Maori believe that islands are numerous pieces of land, generously scattered across the water by the hand of the supreme deity. In the extreme south lies Stewart Island, separated from the South Island by the Fovo Strait. The lowlands are located along the coast of the ocean (the lowlands of Southland on the South Island) and along river valleys. The northern island is less mountainous, in the center and in the west there is a volcanic plateau, which is a reserve of modern volcanism. There are 4 active volcanoes here: Ruapehu - the highest peak of the North Island (2796 m), the last eruption was in 1975, Taranaki (2518 m) and others. The thermal "corner of miracles" is represented by mud volcanoes with the strange names of Inferno, Champagne, Palette The artist. Their smoking black or color-changing craters with seething mud coexist with geysers throwing powerful fountains of steam. The most famous of them, Pokhut, is wayward and it is never known when he will begin to act. Foamy waterfalls, boiling and hot springs and lakes are also located here, over which a pair of various shades hangs - yellow, orange, green and black, sometimes with periodic color changes. Earthquakes are frequent (100-200 a year), but they rarely bring destruction. In the south, uneven hills pass into plains and coastal lowlands occupied by fields and pastures, bays on the southern and eastern coasts are bordered by hills, covered with beech groves, and extinct volcanoes. On the South Island stretches the high snow-covered mountain range of the Southern Alps, the peaks of which are surrounded by glaciers (the Tasman Glacier, for example, has a width of 2 km and a length of 29 km), and the large Franz Josef Glacier formed by blocks of ice has now become a popular holiday destination for tourists. In total, New Zealand has over 300 glaciers that feed a huge number of rivers and lakes located in mountain valleys. The average height of the mountains is more than 2000 m, the highest is the city of Cook. The western slopes are steep, and the eastern gently sloping down to the foothills of the Canterbury Plains - the most extensive plains in New Zealand, which is the country's main livestock and agricultural area. Rainforests grow on the slopes, mangrove swamps grow in the lowlands, and endless fenced green fields serve as pastures for sheep. The snow-capped peak of Mount Miter rises above the bay near the town of Milford Sound. Here, on the southwest coast, there are the most picturesque fjords, with which the southern tip of the island is strongly indented. The southwestern coast of the North Island in the North Taranaki Gulf contains an offshore oil and gas deposit, insignificant reserves of iron, copper and polymetallic ores, gold, coal and brown coal, etc.
The climate is subtropical, marine, temperate in the extreme south. The average temperatures in July (winter) are 12 ° C in the north and 5 ° C in the south, and January (summer) - 19 ° C and 14 ° C, respectively. Precipitation occurs throughout the year: in the west, in mountainous areas, they are 2000-5000 mm, in the east - 400-700 mm per year. Snow only occurs in the mountains, the total area of \u200b\u200bglaciation in the Southern Alps is 1000 km2.
Rivers begin in the mountains, are full of water and rich in electricity. The largest is Waikato (354 km long) on \u200b\u200bthe North Island; navigable 100 km. There are many lakes of volcanic, tectonic and glacial origin, the largest of which is Lake Taupo on the North Island. Not far from the city of Rotorua, a balneological resort and a tourism center located on the shores of the lake of the same name, there are the famous Waitomoto caves with white, cream, gray stalactites and stalagmites, with a fantastic underground landscape where cliffs of incredible shapes meet with fancy names (High Organ, Banquet Hall , Department, etc.), as well as dark, deep dips between them. There you can swim in a boat on the underground river and see the Grotto of the Fireflies, which glow in the dark with a bizarre light. Forests, preserved mainly in the most inaccessible mountainous regions, occupy 23% of the territory and are mainly represented by local tree species (kauri, namaha, rome, tarairo, etc.); a small number of introduced species grows (beech, pine, cypress, poplar). More than 75% of the local flora species are endemic, for example, okhutukawa and bright yellow kovai; perennial evergreen species of vegetation prevail.
The fauna of the country is the oldest in the world, it is poor in mammals, but unique species of birds and reptiles are represented here. Of the mammals, only rats, dogs, and bats are found; of reptiles, the ancient lizard-like reptile of the tuatar. As a result of predatory hunting, increased reproduction of rats, cats, dogs, and some domestic animals (rabbits, goats and pigs) introduced by settlers and feral, as well as deforestation, entire animal populations (and especially birds) were destroyed, and plant communities were destroyed. Birds of 23 species live. Most of them have become rare (Sultan chicken, kiwi, owl parrot, shepherdesses). The country has 9 national parks, and some islands have been converted into bird sanctuaries. So, on one of the remote islands, scientists breed in the nursery of the world's largest beetles weighing 85-100 g, living in the wilds of New Zealand, because they had recently been threatened with extinction: the natives sold them to tourists as souvenirs.
3 Stages of territory development
X - XIV centuries.: New Zealand settled by the Mari
XVII century.: Islands opened by the Dutch
XIX century: English colonization of the islands began
1840: New Zealand declared a colony of Great Britain
1843 - 1872: The Marians rendered stubborn resistance to the English colonizers (Mori Wars)
1907: New Zealand became the British dominion
1914 - 1918: The country participated in the Second World War (as part of the British troops)
1947: The status of dominion is replaced by the status of a member of the British Commonwealth.
The history of New Zealand's settlement is not well understood. According to some sources, even before the resettlement in the 10-14 centuries. In New Zealand, from Central Polynesia, the ancestors of modern Maori tribes lived here, subsequently either disappeared or assimilated by Maori. In 1642, New Zealand was discovered by the Dutch navigator A. Ta ........

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