n territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain: predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Mount Cook 3,764 m

Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower,
gold, limestone

Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 6% other: 88% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,850 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe;
volcanic activity

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; native flora
and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside

Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but
not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine
Life Conservation

Geography - note: about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington
is the southernmost national capital in the world

People New Zealand

Population: 3,908,037 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.2% (male 443,921; female 422,804) 15-64
years: 66.3% (male 1,299,973; female 1,290,097) 65 years and over: 11.5%
(male 196,640; female 254,602) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.12% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 14.23 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 81.27 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.06% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,200 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand

Ethnic groups: New Zealand European 74.5%