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New Zealand
I assume that most people following this
project come from New Zealand but just in case
you're not, here's a little bit of information about the
country where I live. I've also included links to other
sources on the net where you can find out more.
New Zealand is a country in the South
Pacific Ocean. We're easy to find, just locate Australia
on a map and you'll see some beautiful looking islands
hiding just below it. That's us!
In land area, New Zealand is about the
same size as Great Britain although there are only
about 3.5 million people living here, with about a third
of the population living in the largest city, Auckland. The
country's capital is Wellington,
where I live.
New Zealand is well known for is
beautiful scenery and friendly people. The scenery ranges
from golden sand beaches to high mountains which rival
the best in Europe. Our climate isn't tropical, in winter
it get cold, rains, and even snows in the South
but there are generally enough good days (and skiing) to
make it all worthwhile. In summer, the winter is warm but
not too humid.
Some interesting facts about New Zealand
are:
Our national bird is the Kiwi,
a small round bird with a very long beak that
cannot fly and only comes out at night to waddle
around the forest floor in search of insects. We
used to have the world's largest bird (the Moa),
and the world's largest eagle although
both are now extinct. Other native birds, though
now endangered, include the Kea, Kakapo,
and Yellow-Eyed Penguin. Our only native mammals
are several species of bat. We have no snakes or
any other dangerous animals, but we have several
species of lizards including the unique tuatara.
New Zealanders are keen sports
people our national sport is rugby,
and we have some of the world's finest yachts
people (we are holders of the America's
Cup and are or have been holders of a variety
of other prestigious trophies). New Zealanders
also like to do crazy things like bungy-jumping
(but not me!).
New Zealand's first settlers were
the Polynesian explorers, the Maori,
who arrived in about 1300AD. The first European
sight New Zealand was the Dutchman, Abel
Tasman, who discovered New Zealand in 1642
and after who the Tasman Sea and the Australian
island of Tasmania are named. The first European
to land in New Zealand and spend time exploring
the the country was the Englishman, Captain
James Cook.
Our primary exports are
agricultural we export mutton, beef, dairy
products, wool, and fruit all over the world.
However, we are now also exporting high tech
products, computer software, and other
manufactured goods. A New Zealand scientist was
the first to split the atom, and during World War
II, New Zealand scientists helped with the
development of items such as the radar and jet
engine. In other words, we're lucky to have our
share of clever people!
 
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