Random New Zealand Facts Part 1

New Zealand Facts:

• NZ's land area is about the size of the state of Colorado
• Almost 90% of the population lives in the Cities.
• The median age (average) is 37.
• NZ has two official languages: English and Maori. 91.2% speak English and 3.9% speak Maori.
• Auckland has a population of 1.36 Million and the capital city of Wellington has a population of 391,000
• Life expectancy is about 81 years.
• NZ is the First Country to see the sunrise.
• The Maori name for NZ is Aotearoa, which means "the land of the long white Cloud"
• Bungee Jumping originated in NZ.
• NZ claims the longest place name (85 letters) in the world - Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu - which means: 'The hilltop ,where Tamatea with big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his koauau to his beloved'.
• NZ has won more Olympic gold medals, per capita, than any other country.
• New Zealand had no predatory animals prior to European arrival, making it a paradise for birds - many of them flightless.