New Zealand in brief New Zealand is a nation consisting of two main islands separated by Cook Strait. Lying in the South Pacific ocean between latitudes 34° and 48° south, New Zealand is 2,100km east of Australia and 10,000km south-west of the United States of America.
The country is 269,000 square kilometres, similar in size to the British Isles or Japan. New Zealand lies within the south temperature zone and enjoys a warm summer and a cool winter. The large stretches of ocean surrounding the country govern the climate which ranges from Mediterranean in the north, to much cooler temperatures in the south. The average rainfall over the major settled areas ranges from 600mm to 1,500mm. A large proportion of the country has at least 2,000 hours of sunshine. The Maori first settled in New Zealand in the 10th century coming from the islands further north. Europeans colonised the country in the early 19th century and today the descendants of these settlers are the majority population. Pastoral farming is the basis of New Zealand's primary industry, making it the largest exporter of meat and dairy products in the world and the second largest exporter of wool. New Zealand also exports small seeds, pip, stone and berry fruits. New Zealand's sheep population as at 30 June, 2003North Island: 18,410,006 South Island: 21,142,107 Total: 39,552,113 Source: Department of Statistics
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