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New Zealand
New Zealand is a country of two large islands and many smaller islands in the
south-western Pacific Ocean. It is also known as Aotearoa in the Maori language,
or the Land of the Long White Cloud. New Zealand is notable for its isolation,
being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea.
The population of New Zealand is mostly of European descent, with Maori being
the largest minority. Officially, Elizabeth II is the Queen of New Zealand and is
represented in the country by a non-political Governor-General; however,
the Queen has no real political influence. Political power is held by the Prime
Minister who is leader of the Government in the democratically elected
Parliament of New Zealand. The dramatic and varied landscape of New Zealand
has made it a popular location for the production of television programmes and
films, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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British Commonwealth – Brytyjska Wspólnota Narodów
The South Pacific – południowy Pacyfik
European descent – pochodzenie europejskie
Maoris – Maorysi, autochtoniczni mieszkańcy Nowej Zelandii
minority – mniejszość
Wellington – stolica Nowej Zelandii
Auckland – największe miasto
Sources:
Jagiełło J. and M. Lech. 2007. New Zealand. Cogito, 3(47), p.33.
New Zealand
New Zealand is situated in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia. The
country is made up of two large islands – North Island and South Island and
numerous smaller islands. It covers an area of 270,990 square kilometres.
New Zealand has over 4 million citizens. Wellington, located on the North Island,
is the capital city. Some other major cities include: Auckland, with the biggest
population over 100,000, Christchurch and Hamilton. The official currency
is New Zealand dollar. New Zealand is a generally mountainous country with
several large regions of plains. The main mountain ranges of North Island extend
along the eastern side. A volcanic chain in the north central region has
a few active volcanic peaks. Numerous mineral hot springs are found in the Lake
Taupo district. The principal mountain line of South Island is the Southern Alps.
The massif extends for almost the entire length of the island.
Mount Cook (3, 764 metres) is the highest point in New Zealand.
The coast is indented by deep fiords. North Island has numerous rivers, most of
which rise in the eastern and central mountains. The Waikato River,
New Zealand’s longest river, flows north out of Lake Taupo, its largest lake,
and empties into the Tasman Sea in the west. New Zealand’s climate is generally
mild, and seasonal differences are not great. The north end of the Auckland
Penisula has the warmest weather. The coldest weather occurs on
the southwestern slopes of the Southern Alps. Rainfall is generally moderate to
abundant and usually exceeds 508 millimetres annually. The average temperature
on both islands varies between 23ºC in January and 6ºC in July.
Major industries of New Zealand include food processing, machinery, chemicals,
manufacture of wood and paper, mining, printing and tourism. New Zealand is
a world-leading producer and exporter of wool, lamb and mutton meat.
Other exports include beef, fruit, vegetables, fish, dairy products, chemicals
and textiles. The major natural resources are gas, iron ore, sand, coal,
petroleum, limestone and timber.
Source:
Matasek, M. 2006. Język angielski. Słownictwo. Tematyczny zbiór ćwiczeń (2).
Poznań: Wydawnictwo Handybooks. p. 165.
New Zealand Factfile
Government
New Zealand is a democratic country with its own parliament. However, it is part
of the British Commonwealth, and therefore the official head of state is
Elizabeth II, the queen of England, Scotland and Wales. New Zealand was the
first country in the world to give vote to women in 1893, to have old age
pensions and the eight-hour working day.
Geography
New Zealand, in the South Pacific, consists of two large islands plus other
smaller islands with an area of 270,000 sq km. North Island has a warm climate
and there is quite a lot of volcanic activity. South Island is cooler and has a
higher rainfall. In the South Island there are The Southern Alps with Mount
Cook (3754 m) the highest mountain in New Zealand.
Economy
New Zealand has some industry but agriculture is more important – there are
55 million sheep, 8 million cows and 1 million goats in New Zealand!
Wildlife
New Zealand was cut off from the rest of the land on Earth for 80 million years
and has some unique animals and plants. The tuatara is a reptile that has
survived from the era of the dinosaurs. The weta is the largest and heaviest
insect in the world and the kiwi (the symbol of New Zealand) is a large bird
which cannot fly.
The people
Over 80% of the 3.6 million people are of European (mainly British) origin.
Around 9% of the population are Maoris – who came to New Zealand from
Polynesia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The two official languages
in the country are English and Maori.
Lifestyle
New Zealanders, who are also known as ‘Kiwis’, are relaxed people who love the
outdoor life. It is not surprising that New Zealand is successful at many sports.
Its national sport is rugby and its team, ‘The All Blacks perform a ‘haka’, a Maori
war dance, to frighten the opposing team!
Places to visit
New Zealand has beautiful landscapes. In North Island, the Bay of Islands has
lovely old forests and beautiful beaches and the Coromandel is perfect for
sailing and watersports. Rotorua is the centre of Maori culture and has
wonderful hot springs. In South Island, the Southern Alps, the West Coast
region and the national park of Fiordland all have beautiful scenery.
Source:
Harris, M., D. Mower and A. Sikorzyńska. 2000. Opportunities. Pre-intermediate
student's book. Longman. p. 83.
Another interesting source to read and watch:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/new-zealand/