NewZealand
NewZealandisanislandthatliesofftheeastern(southeast)coastofAustralia.Itismadeupoftwolargeislands:NorthIslandandSouthIsland.NewZealandissurroundedbythePacificOceantothenorthandeast,andtheTasmanSeatothesouthandwest.ItisaboutthesamesizeasthePhilippines.Wellington,thecapitalcity,liesontheNorthIsland.OtherimportantcitiesareAucklandinthenorth,ChristchurchontheSouthIslandandQueenstown,furthertothesouth.
NewZealandhasamildseaclimate,whilethenorthissubtropical.Itrainsquitealot.ThewarmestmonthsareDecembertoFebruary.ThecoldestmonthsareJunetoAugust.
TheoceanandseassurroundingtheislandsaredeepblueandmanyofNewZealand'scitieslieonabayandhaveanaturaldeepharbour.ThesandbeachesinNewZealandarealsoveryclean.NewZealandhasaverybeautifulnaturallandscapewithgreenhillsandmountains.Someofthemountainsaredeadvolcanoes.TheNorthIslandisfamousforanareaofhotsprings,someofwhichthrowhotwaterhighintotheair.Someofthisheatneartheearth'ssurfaceisusedtomakeelectricity.TherearemanyplantsandanimalsthatonlyliveinNewZealand.Themostfamousanimalisalittlebirdthatcannotfly.ItiscalledakiwianditisNewZealand'snationalbird.
TheMaoriweretheearliestpeopletocometoNewZealand.Whentheydiscovereditabout1000yearsago,theycalleditAotearoa,whichmeans‘Landofthelongwhitecloud'.TheMaoricamefromtheislandsofPolynesiainthePacific.Itissome3500kilometersfromPolynesiatoNewZealand,whichtheytraveledinnarrowboats.Theybroughtdogs,ratsandplantswiththemandsettledmainlyontheNorthIslandwheretheweatherwaswarmer.Around1421,Chinesesailorsdiscoveredtheislandsononeoftheirvoyagesaroundtheworld.TheDutchmanAbelTasmannamedtheislandsNewZealandin1642.Morethan120yearslater,CaptainJamesCooktookpossessionoftheislandsin1769andfromthattimeBritishpeoplestartedtosettleinNewZealand.By1840about2000Europeans,mainlyBritish,hadcometosettleinNewZealandandtheMaorisignedanagreementwiththesesettlers.Thatdayisstillcelebratedasanationalholiday.ItiseveryyearonthesixthofFebruary.TodaytherearestillmanypeopleinNewZealandwhocallEngland‘thehomecountry',althoughitisaplacewheremostofthemhaveneverbeen.
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New Zealand英文介绍
