Natural hazards:
earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by
species introduced from outside
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the
southernmost national capital in the world
People New Zealand
Population:
3,951,307 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.9% (male 443,837; female 423,118)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,318,751; female 1,307,796)
65 years and over: 11.6% (male 199,722; female 258,083) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.1 years
male: 32.4 years
female: 33.9 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.09% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
14.14 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)