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New Zealand i/njuːˈziːlənd/ (
Māori:
Aotearoa [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is an
island nation in the southwestern
Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the
North Island, or
Te Ika-a-Māui, and the
South Island, or
Te Waipounamu—and around 600
smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of
Australia across the
Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the
Pacific island areas of
New Caledonia,
Fiji, and
Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct
biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the
Southern Alps, owe much to the
tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is
Wellington, while its most populous city is
Auckland.
Sometime between 1250 and 1300 CE,
Polynesians settled in the islands that later were named New Zealand and developed a distinctive
Māori culture. In 1642, Dutch explorer
Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand.
[12] In 1840, representatives of Britain and Māori chiefs signed the
Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand
became a colony within the
British Empire and in 1907 it
became a Dominion. Today, the majority of
New Zealand's population of 4.7 million is of
European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this,
New Zealand's culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent broadening arising from increased
immigration. The official languages are
English,
Māori and
New Zealand Sign Language, with English predominant.
New Zealand is a
developed country and
ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as health, education, economic freedom and quality of life. Since the 1980s, New Zealand has transformed from an
agrarian, regulated economy to a
market economy. Nationally, legislative authority is vested in an elected,
unicameral Parliament, while executive political power is exercised by the
Cabinet, led by the
Prime Minister, who is currently
Bill English.
Queen Elizabeth II is the country's
head of state and is represented by a
governor-general. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11
regional councils and 67
territorial authorities for local government purposes. The
Realm of New Zealand also includes
Tokelau (a
dependent territory); the
Cook Islands and
Niue (self-governing states in
free association with New Zealand); and the
Ross Dependency, which is New Zealand's
territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the
United Nations,
Commonwealth of Nations,
ANZUS,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
Pacific Islands Forum, and
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Source: Wikipedia
The model is created at a scale of 1:7,600,000 with a vertical exaggeration of 25x. It features a built-in base, so it sits perfectly on a desk or in a frame.
Model Data Sources: NASA