New Zealand consists of two main islands and smaller surrounding islands located southeast of Australia. It has a population of around 3.8 million people and its capital and largest city is Wellington. Some key facts about New Zealand include its colonial history reflected in the flag, the indigenous Maori people making up about 14% of the population, and famous attractions including geysers in Rotorua and the kiwi bird which is the national emblem. New Zealand is also known for its rugby team the All Blacks and for extreme sports like bungee jumping.

1. NEW ZEALAND WORK DONE BY: Ana Lopes nº2 8ºD Ana Santos nº3 8ºD Patrícia nº15 8ºD Ruben nº18 8ºD

2. INFORMATION Country: New Zealand Capital: Wellington Language: English Map: People: about 3800000 Currency: Dollar Government: Monarchy

3. FLAG The flag was introduced in 1869 and officially adopted in 1902. The blue ensign reflects the country’s colonial heritage, while the emblem of the constellation of the Southern Cross (the four stars) reflects it is geographic location.

4. NEW ZEALAND It is situated to the Southest of Australia, just across the Tasmanian sea. There are two islands: North Island (115000 km 2 ) and South Island (151000 km 2 ) There are also smaller islands. The most well-know are the Catham and Stewart islands. 75% of New Zealand consists of snow-capped moutains or hills. There are volcanoes and it rains a lot, especially on west cost. The sun shines a lot too. In the north it is warmer and in the south it snows in the winter.

5. New Zealand has some caves (seen in the Lord of the Rings), lakes, beaches, glaciers and mischievous birds (Keas) that eat tents and shoes. The kiwi bird is New Zealand’s national emblem. Kiwis are very unusual birds- they have bad eyesight and wings. They can sleep for 20 hours a day. One of the national emblem are “The Arms”. New Zealand is the home of some very old animals – tuataras. They have lived there for over 200 million years. The original New Zealanders are the Maori people (about 14% of the population) who lived there for centuries before Europeean settlers thought of going there. They arrived from Polynesia in 1,350 AD.

6. There are 35 species of whales and dolphins in New Zealand (there are 76 species on the planet). The Maoris are also known for their “moko”, these are their body and face tattoos. In the past tottoos on the face indicated a Maori of high level. AOTEAREA is the Maori name for New Zealand, which means long white clowd . New Zealand is a nation of sport lovers. It is the home of bungee jumping and other extreme sports including white water rafting. It’s also the perfect land for skiing, snowboarding, sailing and mountain climbing.

7. New Zealand is very proud of their rugby team, the All Blacks. The All Blacks perform a tribal dance accompanied by foot stamping, moving, their tongues up and down and chanting, before their matches. This dance is called “haka” was a way of challenging an opposing tribe. New Zealand is famous for kiwi fruit, and its avocados, that’s why New Zealand are often called “kiwis”.

8. New Zealand’s biggest tourist attraction is Rotorua – is smells of rotten eggs. Rotorua has natural bubbling mud pools, hot springs and geysers which reach a height of 30 metres. One of the most popular souveniers that tourists buy is a Maori pendant made from whale bone. In New Zealand you can take a driving test at fifteen!