New Zealand is an independent nation and a member of the British Commonwealth. Comparable in size (270,5000 sq km) and/or shape to Great Britain, Japan or Colorado in the United States, New Zealand has a diverse multicultural population of four million people, making it one of the world's least crowded countries. The majority of New Zealanders are of British descent. New Zealand's indigenous Maori, a Polynesian people, make up around 15% of the population. The 2004 population census estimated New Zealand's population at 4,388,400 people.

New Zealand's monetary unit is the New Zealand dollar - NZD.

PHYSICAL
New Zealand comprises the North and South Islands (the two main islands), and a host of smaller islands including Waiheke, Stewart and the Chatham Islands. Tolelau and Ross are dependencies. Extensive areas of New Zealand have been set aside as national parks, including Fiordland, Aoraki/Mt Cook and Tongariro.

Protected offshore islands and oceanic reserves ensure New Zealand's unique plants and wildlife are preserved. New Zealand's wildlife includes the flightless kiwi bird, after which both the people and fruit are named. There are also species of parrot, and frogs and reptiles. New Zealand has no native land mammals other than bats. There are no snakes.

The North Island has New Zealand's largest lake, Taupo (606 sq km), longest river, Waikato (425 km), and most of the country's active volcanoes - Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro - all of the usually quiet. Hot springs, geysers and mudpools also form part of the volcanic system centred around Rotorua.

In the South Island, one of the most striking physical features is the Southern Alps/Ka Tirtiri o te Moana. These, along with fiords, glaciers and lakes, and the coastal plains of Canterbury and Southland, add to the variety of the South Island's scenery. New Zealand's deepest lake (Hauroko, 462 m) and deepest cave (Nettlebed, 889 m) are also located in the South Island.