New Zealand¶

Area

Oceania/Australia

New Zealand is a geographically isolated nation in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprised of two main islands, and several smaller islands. This long isolation, along with its varied terrain, resulted in unique flora and fauna many of which could be traced back hundreds of millions of years to Gondwana. Permanent settlement of the islands dates back to only c. 1250 CE, and European contact didn't get going until the late 18th century. Unfortunately, the fauna of the islands have suffered a very high extinction rate due to the influence of humans, including some fifty species of birds.

The landscape of New Zealand is as varied as it is dramatic, with huge mountains on the south island, fjords and volcanoes on the north island, and incredible forests and coastlines. A highly developed nation, New Zealand consistently ranks near the top in quality-of-life and human-development indexes.

New Zealand on Wikipedia