New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island), and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori language name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also includes theCook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica).
The capital city of New Zealand is Wellington although Auckland is the largest. The government is a constitutional democracy and a monarchy whose monarch is Queen Elizabeth II. New Zealand was formerly a British colony and is now one of the members of the Commonwealth which still recognise Elizabeth II as their monarch.
New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation: it is situated about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. During its long isolation New Zealand developed a distinctive fauna dominated by birds, a number of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and the mammals they introduced.
New Zealanders are called Kiwis because of this bird.
The kiwi- New Zealand's indigenous flightless bird (endangered species)
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