Interesting Facts about New Zealand
Are you planning to visit New Zealand? If so then you should know some key facts about the island country. Here are some must-know facts about NZ:
The place with the world’s longest name is in NZ
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the name of a hill located in Hawkes Bay. The region is located on the North Island’s east coast. The region has become famous for its wines. The region’s name was derived from Hawke Bay. It was named by Captain James Cook who honored Admiral Edward Hawke who defeated the French in 1759.
95% of NZ’s population are animals
Just 5% of the island’s population is human. There’s a large variety of birds in NZ in particular. As the birds evolved some of them didn’t need birds since they didn’t have predators to escape from. In fact, several birds are flightless including the kiwi, kakapo parrot and moa (extinct).
Each part of the country is at least 128 km from the sea
If you want to live near the beach one of the best options is in New Zealand. The island country is made of two primary landmasses named North Island and South Island. There are also about 600 small islands. New Zealand.
The Kea bird eats rubber from windows
The kea is a bird that’s native to New Zealand. It’s known for pulling windshield wipers off cars/trucks then eating the strips of rubber. This bird is a large parrot species that lives in the forested/alpine regions of New Zealand’s South Island. The kea is unique since it’s the only alpine parrot that lives in the world. It eats plants and animals and mostly eats leaves, berries, roots, nectar, and bugs. The parrot has received full protection in NZ since 1986 under the Wildlife Act.
It has the world’s clearest water
That’s due to the crystal clear waters of Blue Lake located in Nelson Lakes National Park. The lake is located in the northern part of the Southern Alps and is sacred to the Maori people.
NZ is the world’s least corrupt country
This is based on the Corruptions Perception Index. It’s technically tied with Denmark but it’s quite amazing considering there are nearly 200 countries in the world. The country is a constitutional monarchy while Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. In New Zealand power is based on the idea that “The Queen reigns but the government rules.”
Wellington is the world’s southern-most capital city
Wellington is the second most populated urban area in the country and the capital city. It’s located on the south-west tip of North Island. Wellington is also the windiest city in the world with an average speed of 26 km/hr.
It was missing from a photo in “Star Trek: First Contact”
An image of Earth from space included in the movie shows Australia as well as Papua New Guinea but New Zealand is missing for some reason. The 1996 movie is the second movie featuring the cast of the TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” In the movie, the crew of the Enterprise travels back to the mid-21st century to prevent cyborgs from conquering Earth.