Legend has it that the Polynesian Chief Kupe was the first to sight the magical islands of New Zealand about a thousand years ago. Upon seeing land he exclaimed 'He ao, he aotea he aotearoa' - 'it is a cloud, a white cloud, a long white cloud' - and the islands were christened as 'Aotearoa' by the Maori settlers.

The location of New Zealand, wedged between the two continental plates - the Pacific Plate and the Indian-Australian plate, gives the country its unique landscape of glacial mountains, thermal springs, volcanoes, verdant plains, swift rivers with steep rapids, still, deep lakes, rich forests and golden beaches.

New Zealand consists of two main islands, North Island and South Island, with a number of smaller islands scattered along the coastline. Due to its relative isolation from other landmasses, most of the country's flora and fauna species are indigenous in nature. However, the introduction of various species from overseas has caused a lot of damage to the local wildlife, and deforestation and the status of endangered wildlife is a great cause for concern. The coastal waters of New Zealand are also blessed with a rich variety of marine life.

The very nature of the country's terrain and climate makes New Zealand a natural lover of the outdoors. Apart from Rugby, which is a national obsession, New Zealanders indulge in outdoor activities, which range from the tamer ones like trekking (known locally as tramping), fishing, biking to the more challenging ones like skiing, rafting, diving, mountain climbing and bungee jumping. Being extraordinarily friendly and helpful New Zealanders have the knack of making strangers feel at home in their country and are very open and generous hosts. The culture of New Zealand is a unique blend of Maori and Pakeha (as the white settler was originally known) both cultures exist side-by-side, and is constantly evolving into interesting new forms that are unique to the nation.

The 19th century saw New Zealand rise as an agrarian economy, with wide scale sheep farming shaping the basis of prosperity. Today New Zealand has more industrialized free market economy and also plays an important independent role in international affairs.

• Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
• Geographic coordinates: 41 00 S, 174 00 E
• Area: total 268,680 sq km
• Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts
• Terrain: predominantly mountainous with some large coastal plains
• Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone.
• Population: 4 million
• Ethnic groups: New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4%
• Religions: Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)
• Languages: English (official), Maori (official)
• Government type: Parliamentary Democracy
• Capital: Wellington