Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 15,134 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross
Dependency)
Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Terrain: predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Cook 3,764 m
Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber,
hydropower, gold, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 53%
forest and woodland: 38%
other: 7%
Irrigated land: 2,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna
hard-hit by species introduced from outside
natural hazards: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe;
volcanic activity
international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber
83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea,
Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94