Across Oceania

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand, Aotearoa, in indigenous Māori language, is commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. It is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island), and numerous smaller islands. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association), Tokelau and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand’s territorial claim in Antarctica).

New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation: it is situated about 2,000 kilometers southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and its closest neighbors to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Over the years, New Zealand has developed its own economy, mainly thanks to agriculture, horticulture, fishing and forestry but also, thanks to its geography, tourism plays a major role in The New Zealand’s economy. In fact, nowadays, the country is internationally known for its landscapes beauty, its wilderness and the practice of adventure and outdoor sports.