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Fun facts about New Zealand

5 facts - tap any card to flip it and learn more.

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Detail from a 1666 map showing the western coastline of Nova Zeelandia (on this map, north is at the bottom)
country

The Māori name Aotearoa originally referred to just the North Island.

New Zealand
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country

New Zealand

Population
5.3M
Area
268,021 km²
Capital
Wellington
Continent
Oceania
123rd most populous country in the world

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island —and over 600 smaller islands.

From the “Etymology” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Johannes Janssonius · Public Domain

Fact 1 permalink
Detail from a 1666 map showing the western coastline of Nova Zeelandia (on this map, north is at the bottom)
country

The first people to reach New Zealand were Polynesians in oceangoing waka, believed to have arrived between about 1280 and 1350.

New Zealand
Tap to learn more
country

New Zealand

Population
5.3M
Area
268,021 km²
Capital
Wellington
Continent
Oceania
123rd most populous country in the world

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island —and over 600 smaller islands.

From the “History” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Johannes Janssonius · Public Domain

Fact 2 permalink
Detail from a 1666 map showing the western coastline of Nova Zeelandia (on this map, north is at the bottom)
country

New Zealand is made up of two main islands and more than 700 smaller islands.

New Zealand
Tap to learn more
country

New Zealand

Population
5.3M
Area
268,021 km²
Capital
Wellington
Continent
Oceania
123rd most populous country in the world

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island —and over 600 smaller islands.

From the “Geography and environment” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Johannes Janssonius · Public Domain

Fact 3 permalink
Detail from a 1666 map showing the western coastline of Nova Zeelandia (on this map, north is at the bottom)
country

New Zealand's exclusive economic zone is one of the world's largest, covering more than 15 times its land area.

New Zealand
Tap to learn more
country

New Zealand

Population
5.3M
Area
268,021 km²
Capital
Wellington
Continent
Oceania
123rd most populous country in the world

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island —and over 600 smaller islands.

From the “Geography and environment” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Johannes Janssonius · Public Domain

Fact 4 permalink
Detail from a 1666 map showing the western coastline of Nova Zeelandia (on this map, north is at the bottom)
country

New Zealand was the first nation in the world to grant all women the right to vote in 1893.

New Zealand
Tap to learn more
country

New Zealand

Population
5.3M
Area
268,021 km²
Capital
Wellington
Continent
Oceania
123rd most populous country in the world

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island and the South Island —and over 600 smaller islands.

From the “History” section

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photo: Johannes Janssonius · Public Domain

Fact 5 permalink