New Zealand is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands. The geography of New Zealand is highly varied, from snowcapped mountains to lowland plains. The government system is a parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm; the chief of state is the queen of the United Kingdom, and the head of government is the prime minister. New Zealand has a free market economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. New Zealand is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
New Zealand’s capital is Wellington and is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT + 12), which is 6.5 hours ahead of Indian Standard Time. Its currency is New Zealand Dollar (NZD). Calling code for New Zealand is 64 and it follows 230 Volts Electrical system.
Languages
English (de facto official) 95.4%, Maori (de jure official) 4%, Samoan 2.2%, Northern Chinese 2%, Hindi 1.5%, French 1.2%, Yue 1.1%, New Zealand Sign Language (de jure official) .5%, other or not stated 17.2%
Ethnic Groups
European 64.1%, Maori 16.5%, Chinese 4.9%, Indian 4.7%, Samoan 3.9%, Tongan 1.8%, Cook Islands Maori 1.7%, English 1.5%, Filipino 1.5%, New Zealander 1%, other 13.7%
Religions
Christian 37.3% (Catholic 10.1%, Anglican 6.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 5.2%, Pentecostal 1.8%, Methodist 1.6%, Mormon 1.2%, other 10.7%), Hindu 2.7%, Maori 1.3%, Muslim, 1.3%, Buddhist 1.1%, other religion 1.6% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 48.6%, objected to answering 6.7%
