Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/174.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 11.0 KB | 380 lines

@node Geography (New Zealand)
@section Geography (New Zealand)

@display

Location:
  Oceania, southeast of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean
Map references:
  Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:  total area:
  268,680 km2
 land area:
  268,670 km2
 comparative area:
  about the size of Colorado
 note:
  includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell
  Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  15,134 km
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:
  200 nm or the edge of continental margin
 exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
Climate:
  temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Terrain:
  predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Natural resources:
  natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Land use:
 arable land:
  2%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  53%
 forest and woodland:
  38%
 other:
  7%
Irrigated land:
  2,800 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  earthquakes are common, though usually not severe



@end display

@node People (New Zealand)
@section People (New Zealand)

@display

Population:
  3,368,774 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.61% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.93 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  8.11 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -1.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  9.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  76.11 years
 male:
  72.46 years
 female:
  79.95 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.07 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  New Zealander(s)
 adjective:
  New Zealand
Ethnic divisions:
  European 88%, Maori 8.9%, Pacific Islander 2.9%, other 0.2%
Religions:
  Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist
  2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 9% (1986)
Languages:
  English (official), Maori
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
 total population:
  99%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  1,603,500 (June 1991)
 by occupation:
  services 67.4%, manufacturing 19.8%, primary production 9.3% (1987)



@end display

@node Government (New Zealand)
@section Government (New Zealand)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  none
 conventional short form:
  New Zealand
Abbreviation:
  NZ
Digraph:
  NZ
Type:
  parliamentary democracy
Capital:
  Wellington
Administrative divisions:   93 counties, 9 districts*, and 3 town districts**; Akaroa, Amuri,,
Ashburton,
  Bay of Islands, Bruce, Buller, Chatham Islands, Cheviot, Clifton, Clutha,
  Cook, Dannevirke, Egmont, Eketahuna, Ellesmere, Eltham, Eyre, Featherston,
  Franklin, Golden Bay, Great Barrier Island, Grey, Hauraki Plains, Hawera*,,   Hawke's Bay,
Heathcote, Hikurangi**, Hobson, Hokianga, Horowhenua, Hurunui,,   Hutt, Inangahua, Inglewood,
Kaikoura, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Lake, Mackenzie,
  Malvern, Manaia**, Manawatu, Mangonui, Maniototo, Marlborough, Masterton,,   Matamata, Mount
Herbert, Ohinemuri, Opotiki, Oroua, Otamatea, Otorohanga*,,   Oxford, Pahiatua, Paparua, Patea,
Piako, Pohangina, Raglan, Rangiora*,,   Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua*, Runanga, Saint Kilda,,
Silverpeaks, Southland,
  Stewart Island, Stratford, Strathallan, Taranaki, Taumarunui, Taupo,
  Tauranga, Thames-Coromandel*, Tuapeka, Vincent, Waiapu, Waiheke, Waihemo,,   Waikato, Waikohu,
Waimairi, Waimarino, Waimate, Waimate West, Waimea, Waipa,
  Waipawa*, Waipukurau*, Wairarapa South, Wairewa, Wairoa, Waitaki, Waitomo*,,   Waitotara, Wallace,
Wanganui, Waverley**, Westland, Whakatane*, Whangarei,,   Whangaroa, Woodville
Dependent areas:
  Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
Independence:
  26 September 1907 (from UK)
Constitution:
  no formal, written constitution; consists of various documents, including
  certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments; Constitution Act 1986
  was to have come into force 1 January 1987, but has not been enacted
Legal system:
  based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for
  Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
  Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established British
  sovereignty)
Political parties and leaders:
  National Party (NP; government), James BOLGER; New Zealand Labor Party
  (NZLP; opposition), Michael MOORE; NewLabor Party (NLP), Jim ANDERTON;
  Democratic Party, Dick RYAN; New Zealand Liberal Party, Hanmish MACINTYRE
  and Gilbert MYLES; Green Party, no official leader; Mana Motuhake, Martin
  RATA; Socialist Unity Party (SUP; pro-Soviet), Kenneth DOUGLAS
 note:
  the New Labor, Democratic, and Mana Motuhake parties formed a coalition
  called the Alliance Party, Jim ANDERTON, president, in September 1991; the
  Green Party joined the coalition in May 1992
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal



@end display

@node Government (New Zealand 2. usage)
@section Government (New Zealand 2. usage)

@display

Elections:
 House of Representatives:
  last held on 27 October 1990 (next to be held NA November 1993); results -
  NP 49%, NZLP 35%, Green Party 7%, NLP 5%; seats - (97 total) NP 67, NZLP 29,
  NLP 1
Executive branch:
  British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
  Cabinet
Legislative branch:   unicameral House of Representatives (commonly called Parliament)
Judicial branch:
  High Court, Court of Appeal
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
  Dame Catherine TIZARD (since 12 December 1990)
 Head of Government:
  Prime Minister James BOLGER (since 29 October 1990); Deputy Prime Minister
  Donald McKINNON (since 2 November 1990)
Member of:
  ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC,
  AsDB, Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, COCOM (cooperating country), EBRD, ESCAP,
  FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR,
  NAM (guest), OECD, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Denis Bazely Gordon McLEAN
 chancery:
  37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone]
 consulates general:
  Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  (vacant)
 embassy:
  29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
 mailing address:
  P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP 96531-1001
 telephone:
  [64] (4) 722-068
 FAX:
  [64] (4) 723-537
 consulate general:
  Auckland
Flag:
  blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red
  five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag;
  the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation



@end display

@node Economy (New Zealand)
@section Economy (New Zealand)

@display

Overview:
  Since 1984 the government has been reorienting an agrarian economy dependent
  on a guaranteed British market to an open free market economy that can
  compete on the global scene. The government has hoped that dynamic growth
  would boost real incomes, broaden and deepen the technological capabilities
  of the industrial sector, reduce inflationary pressures, and permit the
  expansion of welfare benefits. The results have been mixed: inflation is
  down from double-digit levels, but growth was sluggish in 1988-91, and
  unemployment, always a highly sensitive issue, has exceeded 10% since May
  1991. In 1992, growth picked up to 3%, a sign that the new economic approach
  is beginning to pay off.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $49.8 billion (1992)
National product real growth rate:
  3% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $14,900 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.2% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
  10.1% (September 1992)
Budget:
  revenues $14.0 billion; expenditures $15.2 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
  $3.65 billion (f.o.b., FY92)
 commodities:
  wool, lamb, mutton, beef, fruit, fish, cheese, manufactures, chemicals,
  forestry products
 partners:
  EC 18.3%, Japan 17.9%, Australia 17.5%, US 13.5%, China 3.6%, South Korea
  3.1%
Imports:
  $3.99 billion (f.o.b., FY92)
 commodities:
  petroleum, consumer goods, motor vehicles, industrial equipment
 partners:
  Australia 19.7%, Japan 16.9%, EC 16.9%, US 15.3%, Taiwan 3.0%
External debt:
  $38.5 billion (September 1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 1.9% (1990); accounts for about 20% of GDP
Electricity:
  8,000,000 kW capacity; 31,000 million kWh produced, 9,250 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery,
  transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 9% of GDP and about 10% of the work force; livestock
  predominates - wool, meat, dairy products all export earners; crops - wheat,
  barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; surplus producer of farm
  products; fish catch reached a record 503,000 metric tons in 1988
Economic aid:
  donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $526 million
Currency:
  1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents



@end display

@node Economy (New Zealand 2. usage)
@section Economy (New Zealand 2. usage)

@display

Exchange rates:
  New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.9486 (January 1993), 1.8584 (1992),
  1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989), 1.5244 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June



@end display

@node Communications (New Zealand)
@section Communications (New Zealand)

@display

Railroads:
  4,716 km total; all 1.067-meter gauge; 274 km double track; 113 km
  electrified; over 99% government owned
Highways:
  92,648 km total; 49,547 km paved, 43,101 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways:
  1,609 km; of little importance to transportation
Pipelines:
  natural gas 1,000 km; petroleum products 160 km; condensate (liquified
  petroleum gas - LPG) 150 km
Ports:
  Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Tauranga
Merchant marine:
  18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 182,206 GRT/246,446 DWT; includes 2
  cargo, 5 roll-on/roll-off, 1 railcar carrier, 4 oil tanker, 1 liquefied gas,
  5 bulk
Airports:
 total:
  120
 usable:
  120
 with permanent-surface runways:
  33
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  42
Telecommunications:
  excellent international and domestic systems; 2,110,000 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 64 AM, 2 FM, 14 TV; submarine cables extend to
  Australia and Fiji; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations



@end display

@node Defense Forces (New Zealand)
@section Defense Forces (New Zealand)

@display

Branches:
  New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 878,028; fit for military service 741,104; reach military
  age (20) annually 29,319 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $792 million, 2% of GDP (FY90/91)



@end display