New Zealand is a country located on the three islands: North (the most populated) and South Islands and on Steward Island. Its capital is Wellington (since 1865) that is one of the three biggest cities in the state (the other two are Christchurch and Auckland).
The main city is located at the southern part of North Island in a natural harbor. According to the history, in the beginning of the 19th century a British officer exchanged some stuff that was unnecessary for him for a place where Wellington would arose later. At first the dwellers called it Britannia.
North Island is smaller than South Island that may boast of the highest mountains. Here you may find Mount Cook that got its name after Captain Cook who had visited these places before discovering Australia and drew country’s first map.
The climate conditions here are almost the same during the whole year. It is a temperate oceanic climate that isn’t as hot as in Australia. A lot of rains are due to the influence of mountains. The average temperature in summer is +20+30 C and +10+15 C in winter. January and February are the warmest months. July is the coldest one.
This state is the second major exporter of wool after Australia. The number of sheep there is about 12 times bigger than the number of people living there. Many factories function in New Zealand, though the majority of the population does farming.
On the islands (mostly near Auckland) you may find the Maoris – the Aborigines of New Zealand who came there from Indonesia about 6 or 7 hundred years ago. Their cultural heritage is very rich and peculiar and was preserved and renewed by descendents.
The country is famous for its various attractions. Tourists from the whole world come there to fish, to go into snow sports, to sail or to hake.
In New Zealand one may find some very unusual and peculiar things:
• There exist a lot of chocolate museums and factories and tourists are offered to make even chocolate sightseeing tours.
• Kiwi birds are strange and beautiful. They are blind, can’t fly and lay eggs larger than their own size.
• The human comprise only 5% of country’s population that is about 4 million. Animals are the rest.
• Three official languages are spoken there: English, Maori and Sign Language.
• There were no indigenous land mammals except of the bats in New Zealand.
• You can’t meet any snake on the islands.
