Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about New Zealand?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about New Zealand facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts About New Zealand
1 – New Zealand is the youngest country in the world.
2 – The population of New Zealand is around 4.8 million people.
3 – Wellington is the capital and has a population of about 400,000.
4 – There are many beaches located along New Zealand’s coastlines; some popular ones include Piha Beach and Mount Maunganui Beach.
5 – New Zealand’s national anthem is “God Defend New Zealand.”
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6 – The flag was adopted on April 24th 1869, and features a Union Jack in the top left corner as well as four red stars representing each province on white background with a blue border around it.
7 – Auckland has a population of 1.65m and is the largest city in New Zealand.
8 – Christchurch was hit by a devastating earthquake on February 22nd 2011 – 185 people died and about half a million homes were damaged or destroyed as well as many businesses.
9 – There are two official languages spoken in New Zealand – English and Maori. English is the main language spoken there now but Maori is also an official language.
10 – The national bird of New Zealand is Kiwi (native to NZ) and their national symbol is the silver fern leaf (also native to NZ).
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11 – New Zealand was originally inhabited by Polynesians and then later settled by Europeans.
12 – New Zealand is the first country in the world to have a female prime minister.
13 – In 2010, Mount Tongariro erupted for only the second time since 1897 – not surprising considering it’s been dormant for over 100 years!
14 – It’s home to some of the world’s most active volcanoes, glaciers, and geysers.
15 – Lord of the Rings has been filmed in locations all over New Zealand.
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16 – There are more sheep than people in New Zealand.
17 – About 75% of the population live in urban areas such as Auckland and Christchurch.
18 – There are four regions that make up the country – North Island, South Island, Waiariki (Waikato-Bay of Plenty), and Rotorua (Rotorua-Taupo).
19 – New Zealand’s economy relies on agriculture and exports to other countries such as Australia and China for food products like apples, milk powder and meat products.
20 – The country has the highest percentage of people who identify as Pacific Islanders in any nation outside of Oceania.
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21 – In 1839, William Hobson proclaimed that Queen Victoria was now Queen from “New Zealand” to “the Realm beyond the Seas,” giving her dominion over all lands south and eastward from longitude 160 degrees east to longitude 200 degrees west (which includes Australia).
Kiwi are also called kiwis because they have a fruit called Kiwi Fruit which tastes like a Chinese gooseberry and was imported from China to NZ by Mary Isabel Fraser who has visited mission schools in China in 1904.
22 – The Treaty of Waitangi was signed by British officials and representatives from various Māori tribes on February 6th 1840 – this treaty established British law in New Zealand.
23 – New Zealand is home to the world’s longest place name, which is a Maori word meaning “place of plenty.”
24 – Kiwi fruit are native to this country and grow on vines that can be up to 50 feet long.
25 – It has an area of 268,021 square miles.
Bonus Facts
It is one of only two countries that have never been invaded by an outside military force (the other being Vatican City).
In 1853, gold was discovered near Otago and this led to the rapid growth in wealth for those living there.
