| New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising
two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous
smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham
Islands. In Māori, New Zealand has come to be known as Aotearoa, which is
usually translated into English as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The
Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue, which are
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, being separated from
Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea, approximately 2000 kilometres
(1250 miles) across. Its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia,
Fiji and Tonga. |
