| Area | 270,534 km˛ |
| Highest Mountain | Mount Cook (3,754 m) |
| Highest Volcano | Mount Ruapehu (2,797 m) |
| Largest Glacier | Tasman (29 km) |
| Longest River | Waikato (425 km) |
| Biggest Lake | Taupo (606 km˛) |
| Inhabitants | 3,960,000 (February 2003) |
| Population Density | 13 persons per sq km |
| Urbanization | 86.1% (1995) |
| Life Expectancy | 77.01 years (1996) |
| Infant Mortality | 0.67% (1996) |
| Literacy | 99% |
| Languages | English (official language) Maori (official language since 1987) |
| Ethnic Groups | Europeans: 88.0% Maori: 8.9% Polynesians: 2.9% Others: 0.2% |
| Religious Affiliation | Christians: 82% Hindus & Buddhists: 1% Agnostics/Atheists & Others: 18% |
| Name of State | New Zealand |
| Flag |  |
| Capital City | Wellington |
| Form of Government | Parliamentary Democracy (constitutional monarchy in the Commonwealth) |
| Head of State | Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General |
| Independence | September 26, 1907 (from Great Britain) |
| Constitution | No written constitution. However, several documents, including the laws of Great Britain and New Zealand, exist. |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Memberships | ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), OECD, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO |
| Freedom index | Free |
| Gross Domestic Product | 43.70 US$ million (1993) |
| GDP per person | 14.400 US$ (1995) |
| Currency | 1 New Zealand Dollar (NZ$) = 100 Cents |
| Rate of Inflation | 2,7% (2002) |
| Rate of Unemployment | 4,7% (June 2003) |
| Exports | Wool, meats (lamb, sheep, beef), fruit, vegetables, fish, dairy products, timber and wood products, textiles and clothing, aluminium, machinery. |
| Imports | Petroleum, consumer goods, machinery and mechanical appliances, vehicles and aircraft, fertilizer. |
| Industries | Food processing, machinery, textiles and clothing, fisheries, wood and wood products, paper and paper products, metal products, farming, particularly livestock and dairying, cropping, fruit growing, horticulture, tourism |
| Agriculture | Makes up around 8.4 per cent of the GDP; predominantly livestock: Sheep, cattle, fowl, wool, meat, dairy products; Agricultural product: wheat, barley, maize, legumes, fruit, vegetables; agritech sector: excess revenues. |
| Natural Resources | Natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, petroleum, silicon dioxide, gold, limestone, timber, hydropower |
| 700 | Initial colonization by Polynesians |
| 1642 | Discovered by Dutchman Abel Tasman |
| 1769 | Landing of and geographical survey by James Cook |
| 1814 | Arrival of the first missionaries |
| 1820 | A Maori leader travels to England for guns |
| 1840 | New Zealand is placed under British protection |
| 1858 | The country gets its own parliament |
| 1860 | For the first time the island has more white people than Maoris |
| 1893 | Active suffrage for women (first general elections in 1890) |
| 1898 | The first country in the world to introduce the old age pension system |
| 1914 | Occupation of Samoa, a German colony |
| 1951 | Military Alliance with Australia and the USA (security pact) |
| 1972 | Protests against French nuclear tests |
| 1984 | Legalization of homosexuality, NZ becomes a nuclear-free zone |
| 1985 | A Greenpeace boat is bombed by French secret agents in Auckland |
| 1994 | Successful economic reforms, state budget surplus |
| 1999 | Labour Party takes over governmental responsibility |
Their journey was an unbelievably difficult and dangerous undertaking. Often as many as 100 people would sail in their traditional open canoes up to 5,000 km across the open seas. They trusted in the stars and the birds to lead them to safe lands. To this very day, the consequences of their common destiny can be felt. This feeling of togetherness, of belonging, among the more than 40 Maori tribes is based on the journey of their forefathers. Boats still play a very important role in the lives of the Maori people. Sites where their boats are buried are regarded as sacred. Several tribes even named themselves after their boats.
Their first arrival on the island was not a very pleasant one. Except for one type of bats there were no other mammals, not even snakes. But the Maori people had brought along with them their own livestock, and also dogs, rats, coco palms, cucurbits and sweet potatoes. The harsh weather conditions reduced the life expectancy of these new inhabitants to around 30 years. For this reason, many Maoris migrated to the warmer northern parts of the island. The population began to grow rapidly, especially after the people had mastered the art of making capes from leaves and building huts. Fights for the fertile soil also broke out among the people.
Social cohesion really only exists within each individual tribe. There is - till this day - no united single Maori people. The word "maori" - normal - only came into use after the other white people had set foot on the island. The one common link between the tribes is their one unified language, albeit with substantial dialectal differences between northern and southern parts of the island.