New Zealand (2008) | Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 437,547/female 417,698)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,393,057/female 1,378,358) 65 years and over: 11.9% (male 214,189/female 274,922) (2007 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | dairy products, lamb and mutton; wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish | - |
Airports | 121 (2007) | none |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 41
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 80
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 46 (2007) |
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Area | total: 268,680 sq km
land: 268,021 sq km water: NA note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands |
total:
0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. | Popes in their secular role ruled much of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Vatican and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the adjustment of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. |
Birth rate | 13.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $54.36 billion
expenditures: $48.51 billion (2007 est.) |
revenues:
$209.6 million expenditures: $198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
Capital | name: Wellington
geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island |
Vatican City |
Climate | temperate with sharp regional contrasts | temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) |
Coastline | 15,134 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 | Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ |
conventional long form:
The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano) |
Currency | - | Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $50.02 billion (31 December 2007 est.) | - |
Dependent areas | Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland |
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 5758346 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
chief of mission:
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele MONTALVO chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 |
Disputes - international | asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) | none |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $276 million (2006 est.) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | none |
Economy - overview | Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes - but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder - and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector. Per capita income has risen for eight consecutive years and reached $27,800 in 2007 in purchasing power parity terms. Consumer and government spending have driven growth in recent years, and exports picked up in 2006 after struggling for several years. Exports were equal to about 22% of GDP in 2007, down from 33% of GDP in 2001. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. Inflationary pressures have built in recent years and the central bank raised its key rate 13 times since January 2004 to finish 2007 at 8.25%. A large balance of payments deficit poses another challenge in managing the economy. | This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. |
Electricity - consumption | 37.39 billion kWh (2006 est.) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy |
Electricity - production | 42.06 billion kWh (2006 est.) | - |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m |
lowest point:
unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation |
party to:
none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census) | Italians, Swiss, other |
Exchange rates | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003) | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000), 1817.2 (1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican will start using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate of 1,936.17 lire per euro |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since July 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
chief of state:
Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 December 1990) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope |
Exports | 15,720 bbl/day (2004) | - |
Exports - commodities | dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery | - |
Exports - partners | Australia 20.5%, US 13.1%, Japan 10.3%, China 5.4%, UK 4.9% (2006) | - |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March
note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes |
calendar year |
Flag description | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation | two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4.3%
industry: 26.2% services: 69.6% (2007 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2007 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 41 00 S, 174 00 E | 41 54 N, 12 27 E |
Geography - note | about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world | urban; landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights |
Government - note | while not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native flightless bird, represents New Zealand | - |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | - | none; all city streets |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA (1991 est.) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | significant consumer of amphetamines | - |
Imports | 140,900 bbl/day (2004) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics | - |
Imports - partners | Australia 20.5%, China 12.3%, US 11.8%, Japan 9.2%, Germany 4.4%, Singapore 4.4% (2006) | - |
Independence | 26 September 1907 (from UK) | 11 February 1929 (from Italy) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1.8% (2007 est.) | - |
Industries | food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining | printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
- |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2007 est.) | - |
International organization participation | ADB, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 93 (Holy See and Italy) (2000) |
Irrigated land | 2,850 sq km (2003) | 0 sq km (1993) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges appointed by the Governor-General | none; normally handled by Italy |
Labor force | 2.23 million (2007 est.) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 7%
industry: 19% services: 74% (2006 est.) |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 6.92% other: 87.54% (2005) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (urban area) |
Languages | English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official) | Italian, Latin, French, various other languages |
Legal system | based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations | NA |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists; to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later than 15 November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%, NZFP 5.7%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.1%, UF 2.7%, ACT New Zealand 1.5%, Progressive 1.2%, other 1.3%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7, Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1 note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat than its entitlement under the party vote |
unicameral Pontifical Commission |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.96 years
male: 75.97 years female: 82.08 years (2007 est.) |
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Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia | Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 108,667 GRT/89,458 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 3, France 1, UK 1) (2007) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope |
Military branches | New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2008) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (2005 est.) | - |
National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915) | Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978) |
Nationality | noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand |
noun:
none adjective: none |
Natural hazards | earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity | NA |
Natural resources | natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone | none |
Net migration rate | 3.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
Pipelines | condensate 331 km; gas 1,896 km; liquid petroleum gas 172 km; oil 288 km; refined products 260 km (2007) | - |
Political parties and leaders | ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [John KEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) |
Population | 4,115,771 (July 2007 est.) | 890 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.95% (2007 est.) | 1.15% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | total: 4,128 km
narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2006) |
total:
862 m; note - a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station standard gauge: 862 m 1.435-m gauge (1999) |
Religions | Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census) | Roman Catholic |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.011 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.779 male(s)/female total population: 0.987 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
- |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | limited to cardinals less than 80 years old |
Telephone system | general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA international: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and US; satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other |
general assessment:
automatic exchange domestic: tied into Italian system international: uses Italian system |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.729 million (2005) | NA |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3.53 million (2005) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997) | 1 (1996) |
Terrain | predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains | low hill |
Total fertility rate | 1.79 children born/woman (2007 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 3.5% (2007 est.) | - |
Waterways | - | none |