Land of New Zealand

Geography of New Zealand

• Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

• Geographic coordinates: 41 00 S, 174 00 E

• Map references: Oceania
• Area:

total: 267,710 sq km

country comparison to the world: 76

land: 267,710 sq km

water: NA

note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

• Area - comparative:

Area comparison map:

Land boundaries: 0 km

• Coastline:

15,134 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

• Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts
• Terrain: predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
• Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

• Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

• Land use:

arable land: 1.76%

permanent crops: 0.27%

other: 97.98% (2011)

• Irrigated land:

6,193 sq km (2007)

• Total renewable water resources:

327 cu km (2011)

• Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 4.75 cu km/yr (23%/5%/72%)

per capita: 1,200 cu m/yr (2010)

• Natural hazards: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
• volcanism: significant volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (elev. 2,797 m), which last erupted in 2007, has a history of large eruptions in the past century; Taranaki has the potential to produce dangerous avalanches and lahars; other historically active volcanoes include Okataina, Raoul Island, Tongariro, and White Island

• Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species

• Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note: almost 90% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world