New Zealand (the Land of the Long White Cloud)

The country was named New Zealand after the Dutch province of Zeeland which means “Sea Land” in Dutch.
New Zealand has another name, Aotearoa, which means “the land of the Long white cloud” in the Maori language.

Discovery
When the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman came to New Zealand in 1642, Maori warriors fought off his sailors and he was unable to land.
The first Maori settled in New Zealand about a thousand years ago. They came from Polynesia and were excellent sailors and fierce warriors.
In 1769, the British explorer James Cook's claimed New
Zealand for Britain.

The flag of New Zealand has the Union Jack in the top left-hand corner and the four-star Southern cross in the right half. On the blue state flag the stars are red, outlined in white.
flag

The Coat of Arms of New Zealand is the official symbol of New Zealand.
The shield is supported by two figures, a blonde Pākehā (European) woman holding the New Zealand flag, and a Māori warrior holding a taiaha (Māori staff). The shield is topped with the St Edward’s Crown, and beneath the shield are two silver fern leaves and a scroll bearing the words "New Zealand".
Coat of arms

God of Nations at Thy feet,
In the bonds of love we meet,
Hear our voices, we entreat,
God defend our free land.
Guard Pacific's triple star
From the shafts of strife and war,
Make her praises heard afar,
God defend New Zealand.
Men of every creed and race,
Gather here before Thy face,
Asking Thee to bless this place,
God defend our free land.
From dissension, envy, hate,
And corruption guard our state,
Make our country good and great,
God defend New Zealand.
Peace, not war, shall be our boast,
But, should foes assail our coast,
Make us then a mighty host,
God defend our free land.
National Anthem
Lord of battles in Thy might,
Put our enemies to flight,
Let our cause be just and right,
God defend New Zealand.
Let our love for Thee increase,
May Thy blessings never cease,
Give us plenty, give us peace,
God defend our free land.
From dishonour and from shame,
Guard our country's spotless name,
Crown her with immortal fame,
God defend New Zealand.
May our mountains ever be
Freedom's ramparts on the sea,
Make us faithful unto Thee,
God defend our free land.
Guide her in the nations' van,
Preaching love and truth to man,
Working out Thy glorious plan,
God defend New Zealand.
God defend New Zealand

The head of State is Queen Elizabeth II represented by the Governor-General.
Sir Anand Satyanand,
Governor-General
John Key,
the Prime Minister is
the Head of
Government.
It is a constitutional monarchy,
an independent state within
the Commonwealth.

Territory
The country is situated to the south-east of Australia. It consists of three large islands, called North Island, South Island and Steward Island, and also many small islands.
The Cook Strait separates the main North and South islands.
The Tasman Sea separates New Zealand from Australia.
The total land area is 268,021 km²

Mount Cook (Aoraki) is the highest (3,754 m) peak .
New Zealand is a mountainous country. The highest New Zealand mountains are the Southern Alps. They lie near the west coast of South Island. The mountains in North Island are not so high and are mostly forest covered.

Climate
The climate is pleasant in all seasons, without much difference between winter and summer. It is never very hot or very cold in New Zealand because it is surrounded by water.

There are many rivers and lakes in New Zealand.
Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island is the largest lake in the country.
The longest river is the Waikato.

New Zealand is a land of volcanoes. Most of them are sleeping, but some are active and you can see steam and smoke coming from them.
Rotorua
The hot water lakes in Rotorua are
of extraordinary colours: yellow, green
and even orange. Here steam and hot water explode out of the hot ground.
There are pools of natural hot water where you can swim.

The isolation of New Zealand from other lands allowed the survival of animals and plants from the time of the dinosaurs.
weka
takahe
kakapo
tuatara
New Zealand is the only place in the whole world where Tuatara can be found in the wild. Its relatives were dinosaurs.
animals

pohutukawa
fern
Tane Mahuta
plants
kiwi
The beautiful pohutukawa tree has red flowers at Christmas, and people call it “ the New
Zealand Christmas tree.” It is a symbol of the country.
The ancient silver fern can be found only in New Zealand. It can be 10 meters high or more.
Kiwifruit, the brown furry fruit with green flesh , is grown in here too.
The oldest tree in the country
is Tane Mahuta. It is a Maori
name which means “Lord of
theForest.” It is between 1250
and 2500 years old.

The kiwi is the national emblem of New Zealand.
It is a bird which lives in the forest and doesn’t fly. It is found nowhere in the world!
New Zealanders also like to call themselves Kiwis.

New Zealand has three official languages:
⬥ New Zealand English (spoken by 3,673,623 people)
⬥ Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) (spoken by 157,110 people)
⬥ New Zealand Sign Language (spoken by 24,090 people)

Māori
The Māori, a Polynesian native people, are the aborigines of New Zealand. They lived in New Zealand hundreds of years before the white man came. For many years the Māori people have been fighting for their rights.

waka taua
wood carving
tattoos
Beautiful carvings, artwork, music,
dance and traditional buildings
all from part of the Maori heritage.
The Maori had no written language,
so all their traditions were handed
down orally. They used songs and
carvings to tell stories from the past
that held lessons for the young.
Traditionally, Maori people had tattoos (known as “moko”) on the faces and bodies. Men usually had full-faced tattoos, women had moko on their chins and noses.

The capital of New Zealand is Wellington.
The main cities of are Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland.
Cities
The population of New Zealand is over 3 million people.

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand is situated on the south-western tip of the North Island. It is built on high hills around a picturesque harbour. Its nickname is “Windy Wellington.”
Wellington

Auckland
It is the biggest city in the country with a population of over 1.4 million people.
It is often called “The City of Sails” because its two harbours are dotted with hundreds of yachts.
It is also famous for its Sky Tower.
It is 328 meters tall and is the highest building in New Zealand.

Christchurch
It is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest city.
It is “the most English city outside England.”It was designed in England, and its river is called the Avon.

It is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It has strong Scottish roots. In the past it was called New Edinburgh. It is called “The City of Firsts.” It is home to the country’s oldest university, the first newspaper and the first botanic garden.
Dunedin

New Zealand is a great place for sports.
The country’s national sport is Rugby Union, but it is more than a game, because winning a matter of national pride. The New Zealand team is called “The All Blacks.” They wear black shirts and black shorts. Before the match The All Blacks usually perform a haka, the traditional Maori war dance.
Cricket, yachting, diving, rafting are popular too.
sport

Bibliography
www.newzealand.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand
newzealand.govt.nz
www.lonelyplanet.com/new-zealand
www.tourism.net.nz
tattoo.maryno.net
nzeland.org/content/cities
KiwiAcademy.ru/?id=23
maps.turizm.ru/country_144.html
www.aotearoa.ru/2010/08/blog-post_30.html
Speak Out №59, 2007;№66,2008.
Е.А.Рыбкина New Zealand,СПб Каро,2001