纽西兰(New Zealand)

南太平洋岛国。面积270,534平方公里。人口约3,861,000（2001）。首都︰威灵顿。绝大多数人口源自欧洲；约有10%人口是毛利人，有部分是太平洋岛民航中国人。语言︰英语和毛利语（皆为官方语）。宗教︰基督教。货币︰纽西兰元（$NZ）。纽西兰以科克海峡相隔分成南岛和北岛，及其他数个小岛。南岛上的山脉和北岛上的丘陵约各占南、北两岛面积的一半左右。该国已开发的市场经济以农业为主，养羊、小型工业和服务业占支配地位。政府形式为君主立宪政体；国家元首是代表英国君主的总督，政府首脑为总理。

西元1000年前後，玻里尼西亚人占据此地。1642年首先被荷兰探险家塔斯曼发现，1769年科克船长给几个主要岛屿以特许状。1840年在威灵顿命名该地区为英国直辖殖民地，整个1860年代该地区不断发生殖民者与原住民毛利人之间的战争。1865年首府从奥克兰移到了威灵顿，1907年该殖民地成为纽西兰的领地。1919～1962年间拥有对西萨摩亚的行政管理权，并参加两次世界大战。人口识字率几近100%，文化环境主要是欧式的，虽然传统的毛利文化和艺术也正在复兴中。南岛上的主要城市是基督城。1970年代英国参加欧洲经济共同体後，使纽西兰扩展了它的出口市场，并使它的经济走向多样化。在对外关系方面纽西兰也变得更为独立。

English version：

New Zealand

Island nation, South Pacific Ocean. Area: 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 3,653,000. Capital: Wellington. Most of the people are of European origin; about 10% are Maori, and some are Pacific Islanders and Chinese. Languages: English and Maori (both official). Religion: Christianity. Currency: New Zealand dollar. New Zealand consists of the North Island and the South Island, which are separated by Cook Strait, and several smaller islands. Both main islands are bisected by mountains in the south and hills in the north. New Zealand has a developed market economy largely based on agriculture, dominated by sheep raising, small-scale industries, and services. It is a constitutional monarchy with one legislative house; its chief of state is the British monarch represented by the governor-general, and the head of government is the prime minister. Polynesian occupation dates to c. AD 1000. First sighted by Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1642, the main islands were charted by Capt. James Cook in 1769. Named a British crown colony in 1840 at Wellington, the area was the scene of warfare between colonists and native Maori through the 1860s. The capital was moved from Auckland to Wellington in 1865, and in 1907 the colony became the Dominion of New Zealand. It administered Western Samoa 1919-62 and participated in both world wars. The literacy rate is nearly 100%, and the cultural milieu is predominantly European, although a revival of traditional Maori culture and art is underway. Christchurch is the major city on South Island. When Britain joined the European Economic Community in the early 1970s, its influence led New Zealand to expand its export markets and diversify its economy. It has also become more independent in its foreign relations.