New Zealand
42°S 173°E / 42°S 173°E-42; 173
New Zealand is an Australia across the New Caledonia, Fiji, together with Tonga. the country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its almost populous city is Auckland.
Owing to their remoteness, the islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable landmass to be settled by humans. Between approximately 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to decide in the islands and then developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the number one European to sight and record New Zealand. Exploratory voyages, mainly by British and French explorers, occurred in the unhurried 18th century, with varied but mainly British trading and settlement occurring until 1840. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which in its English version declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire, and in 1907 it became a dominion; it gained full statutory independence in 1947, and the British monarch remained the head of state. Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of over 5.1 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent broadening of culture arising from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori, and New ZealandLanguage, with the local dialect of English being dominant.
A developed country, New Zealand ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such(a) as classification of life, education, security degree of civil liberties, government transparency, and economic freedom. New Zealand underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy. The benefit sector dominates the national economy, followed by the industrial sector, and agriculture. International tourism is also a significant item of module of reference of revenue. Nationally, legislative dominance is vested in an elected, unicameral Parliament, while executive political power to direct or determining is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the prime minister, currently Jacinda Ardern. Queen Elizabeth II is the country's monarch and is represented by the governor-general. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes. The Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau a dependent territory; the Cook Islands and Niue self-governing states in free association with New Zealand; and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica.
New Zealand is a module of the ASEAN Plus Six, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific Community and the Pacific Islands Forum.