NewZealand-Chloe

=New Zealand = Chloe
 * Population:** 4,173,460 (July 2008 est.)

male: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) male: 78.33 years female: 82.25 years (2008 est.)
 * Crude Birth Rate:** 14.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
 * Crude Death Rate:** 7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
 * Rate of Natural Increase:** 0.971% (2008 est.)
 * Infant Mortality Rate:** total: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births
 * Life Expectancy:** total population: 80.24 years
 * GNI PPP per capita:** $26,400 (2007 est.)
 * Stage of Demographic Transition:** stage 4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_transition)


 * Population Pyramid:** http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/idbpyrs.pl?cty=NZ&out=s&ymax=250&submit=Submit

(http://flickr.com/photos/sebastien_michel/464153659/) (http://flickr.com/photos/dmosh/2209596195/) (http://flickr.com/photos/gaetanlee/43425657/)
 * Refugee Data:** People from Europe, South America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have sought refuge in New Zealand since 1840. These refugee intakes have risen when economic conditions and opportunities in New Zealand have been abundant. Since 1944, New Zealand has taken in 20,000 refugees that make up its population of only about 4 million. (http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/Refugees/1/en)
 * Net Immigration:** 3.43 migrants/1,000 population
 * Folk Culture:** Maori people thrive in New Zealand today. The Maori are determined to keep their culture and language alive in New Zealand. Their language might be quite confusing for the typical visitor to New Zealand, but in reality the language is very logical with consistent rules of pronunciation. Traditional and contemporary arts are two of the main thresholds in the Maori's culture. Their culture has also been passed on through rich stories and legends. The main story regarding their creation includes a dramatic separation of Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, by their children. The beliefs and practices from Maori culture are consequently respected by New Zealand's people and leaders. (http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/maori-culture.html)

The main languages that thrive in New Zealand include English and Maori; however, both New Zealand Sign Language and Pitcairn-Norfolk also exist as forms of communication. The English language diffused to New Zealand through the early explorations and the influence of the British Empire. This influence was a first step in the transportation of the English language to New Zealand. Then, the British came to New Zealand in large numbers to settle in different places of the country, definitely setting a firm foothold of the English language. Finally, the English language brought by these British settlers experienced gradual evolution and development over the years. Indeed, just as Late Modern English is a development of Middle English, which in turn derives from Old English in Britain, a new variety of English known as New Zealand English appeared in the country. The Maori language is less popular than the English language in New Zealand. It diffused to New Zealand through the voyages of Eastern Polynesians. The language and dialects developed in relative isolation after they reached New Zealand. In the 1860's it became a minority language in New Zealand under the domination of English; today only 50,000 to 70,000 speak this language in New Zealand, but 100,000 understand the language and cannot speak it. (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NZ) An article that addresses some issues regarding the Maori language: http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/news/education_document__Maori_language.htm Here is an audio clip of learning to count in the Maori language that I found interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eT5KSaiAfY
 * Language**

New Zealand is primarily Christian, and three-fifths of the population follow the Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Methodist denominations. Minor Protestant sects, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish congregations and Maori adaptations of Christianity make up the rest of the population that do not follow Christianity. Also, much of the population does not even claim any religious affiliation.The Maoris originally followed a polytheistic religion with the main focus being the tapu. Belief in tapu, or the sacred, without a doubt was the most important of all aspects of Maori life and thought, affecting man directly from birth to death. It was a religious belief and condition, and the force which governed the whole of life, taking the place of law as well as religion. The Maori language and Christianity have come into a number of doctrinal conflicts throughout the history of New Zealand because the believers of these two languages occupy a small stretch of land and come into regular contact with one another. Christianity not only attacked war and cannibalism, it weakened the hold of the laws of tapu and of Maori domestic life, and helped demolish the basis of Maori art and self-expression. In particular, Christianity's preaching of the worth and importance of the individual came into opposition with the foundation of the Maori communal system. http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/post/nz/nzrelig2.html **Ethnicity**  About one in seven New Zealanders identify themselves ethnically as Māori; however, the number of those with Māori decent is predicted to increase because Māori women are having more babies than European and Asian women. The largest ethnicity concentrated in New Zealand is European, due to the large number of European immigrants in the mid-1970's. Recently there have been a number of immigrants from the Pacific Islands and Asia as well. The largest number of Pacific Islanders that have immigrated to New Zealand have been Samoan, and the largest number of Asian immigrants to New Zealand come from China then India. In conclusion, the two main ethnicities of New Zealand are European and the native Maori, but recently there has been a large influx of immigrants from the Pacific Islands and Asia that are adding more diversity to the ethnicity of New Zealand.http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandInBrief/Society/1/en
 * Religion**

New Zealand is considered a MDC (more developed country) by the United Nations. The HDI (human development index) of New Zealand is 0.944. This HDI is considered a high HDI, because as the number becomes closer to 1, the country is more developed. The HDI considers three main factors when calculating its number. The three main factors that are included when determining if a country is an MDC or LDC are economic, social, and demographic. New Zealand is also included in the CIA developed country list, the CIA advanced economy list, the IMF advanced economy list, the high income OECD members list, the World Bank high income economies life, and the quality-of-life survey. Therefore, New Zealand is one of the most developed countries in the Oceania region. [] Pastoral farming is the more important type of agriculture in New Zealand. Sheep and beef meats comprised 12.5 percent of New Zealand exports in 1999 and are processed at plants in various parts of the country for shipment to many parts of the world, notably Europe and North America, but also increasingly Asia. Wool is also an important export, and while Europe is the traditional destination for this export, increasing amounts are going to China for processing. In terms of export income, dairy products have the highest value of agricultural products, making up 17 percent of exports in 1999. Dairy farms are found throughout the country, but certain areas are particularly well known as dairying areas, such as Waikato and Taranaki in North Island. The supply of fresh milk to New Zealanders explains the location of dairy farms near larger towns, but most dairy production is destined for international markets, and farms which produce for this market must locate wherever production conditions allow. There are a range of dairy products exported, but the most important are butter, cheese, and milk powders. After pastoral farming, the next most important type of farming is horticulture, the growing of fruits and vegetables. New Zealand's climate is suitable for a large variety of fruit ranging from temperate fruit such as apples, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries, to subtropicals such as avocados, passionfruit, grapes, and kiwifruit, as well as many other citrus fruits. The two most prevalent type of fruit farmed are apples and kiwifruit. Another important and rapidly growing part of the horticultural industry is grape growing, especially for production of wine. The growth of the wine industry has increased greatly in the past 20 years in New Zealand. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/New-Zealand-AGRICULTURE.html The main industries of New Zealand include food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, and mining. I think that having tourism as a main industry is very interesting, and here is some more information on this industry in New Zealand: The Tourism Industry Association New Zealand is the largest representative body of tourism operators in New Zealand. It is a membership-based and private sector trade organization with about 1700 members – from small operators through to large companies – who collectively make up 85% of the country’s tourism turnover. http://www.tianz.org.nz/ and http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107834.html
 * Development**
 * Agriculture**
 * Industry:**

The most important service in New Zealand belongs in the leisure service category. New Zealand provides a lot of services in the tourism area. The country is widely visited by people looking to have a great vacation in the beautiful setting of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. I do not think that the tourism service in the leisure category will change because the country remains beautiful and in the perfect location for a nice get away. Much of the business done around Wellington, New Zealand, involves government departments and corporate head offices. Wellington is a major transport hub and widely recognized for its educational facilities, and its excellent visitor and events facilities, including the new WestpacTrust Stadium. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy produced in Wellington has expanded a vibrant film/TV production industry. Hutt Valley contains a mixture of light industry, chemical/paint manufacturing and film/TV productions. http://www.jasons.com/New-Zealand/Wellington/wellington-business-services
 * Services:**

At the 2001 census, the urban population made up 86% of New Zealand's total population. In New Zealand, only Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hamilton have populations above. 100,000.  **   The main urban areas are  [|Auckland] , the centre of the North and the main industrial complex;  [|Hamilton,]  in the middle of the North Island;  [|Wellington]  , centrally located at the southern tip of North Island and the political and commercial capital;  [|Christchurch]  , in the middle of the South Island and the second largest industrial area; and finally, still farther south,  [|Dunedin]. Although New Zealand is notable for the strength of its rural sector, the great majority of people live in cities, and urban concentration is proceeding apace. There is also a marked difference in the degree of [|population growth]  of the two main islands—the North having about three-fourths of the total population, in sharp contrast to the earlier years of systematic settlement. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/412636/New-Zealand/43619/Settlement-patterns
 * Urban Patterns:

**  =New Zealand= <span class="assoc" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; font-size: 6.5pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); float: right; margin-right: 26px; background-position: initial initial;">Associated Graph <span class="assoc" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; font-size: 6.5pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); float: right; margin-right: 26px; background-position: initial initial;">Associated Graph http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/trends/newzealand/
 * Geological Footprint:
 * Figure 1** tracks, in absolute terms, the average per person resource demand (Ecological Footprint) and per person resource supply (Biocapacity) in New Zealand since 1961. Biocapacity varies each year with ecosystem management, agricultural practices (such as fertilizer use and irrigation), ecosystem degradation, and weather.
 * Figure 2** shows the components of the average per person Ecological Footprint in New Zealand since 1961.
 * Table 1** outlines some basic data about New Zealand in 2005. Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity are calculated by Global Footprint Network. The Human Development Index is calculated by the United Nations Development Programme.