New Zealand 1-FLORIN (KM28.2)¶
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Reverse: KIWI
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Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II
- Composition
- Copper-nickel
- Country
- New Zealand
- Approx. Size
- 28.5mm
- Area
- Oceania/Australia
- Animal Class
- Birds
- Species
- Kiwi
- KM#
- 28
There are five species of Kiwi, all native to New Zealand, and all endangered. A small, flightless bird about the size of a chicken, the kiwi is the national symbol of New Zealand. Since the only mammals native to New Zealand are bats, the ecological niches normally occupied by mammals were filled in by flightless birds, like the kiwi. The M?ori people use kiwi feathers for their ceremonial cloaks, but no longer hunt them and consider themselves their guardians. Feathers are only gathered from birds that die naturally or from accidents.
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.
