Map of New Zealand
New Zealand is a country in Oceania with its capital at Wellington, home to about 5.32 million people across 268,021 km². The interactive map below plots 54 cities and towns, 55 rivers, 20 lakes, 5 mountain summits and 19 ports recorded for New Zealand in YearMaps.
- Population
- 5.32 million
- Area
- 268,021 km²
- Capital
- Wellington
- Continent
- Oceania
Interactive Map of New Zealand
Centred on Wellington at 41.3000° S, 174.7833° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About New Zealand
New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa, pronounced [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa] ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It comprises two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps (Kā Tiritiri o te Moana), owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.
The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and subsequently developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. In 1769, the British explorer Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on and map New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which paved the way for Britain's declaration of sovereignty later that year and the establishment of the Colony of New Zealand in 1841. Subsequently, a series of conflicts between the colonial government and Māori tribes resulted in the alienation and confiscation of large amounts of Māori land. New Zealand became a dominion in 1907; it gained full statutory independence in 1947, retaining the monarch as head of state. Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of around 5.3 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pasifika. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture mainly derives from Māori and early British settlers but has recently broadened from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language, with the local dialect of English being dominant.
A developed country, New Zealand was the first to introduce a minimum wage and to give women the right to vote. Recognised as a middle power, New Zealand ranks very highly in international measures of quality of life and human rights and has one of the lowest levels of perceived corruption in the world. It retains visible levels of inequality, including structural disparities between its Māori and European populations. During the 1980s, New Zealand underwent major economic changes that transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: New Zealand (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of New Zealand
Polynesians settled New Zealand between the late 1200s and the mid-1300s. They called the land Aotearoa, which legend holds is the name of the canoe that Kupe, the first Polynesian in New Zealand, used to sail to the country; the name Aotearoa is now in widespread use as the local Maori name for the country. By the 1500s, competition for land and resources led to intermittent fighting between different Maori tribes as large game became extinct. Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to see the islands in 1642 but left after an encounter with local Maori. British sea captain James COOK arrived in 1769, followed by whalers, sealers, and traders. The UK only nominally claimed New Zealand and included it as part of New South Wales in Australia. Concerns about increasing lawlessness led the UK to appoint its first British Resident in New Zealand in 1832, although the position had few legal powers. In 1835, some Maori tribes from the North Island declared independence. Fearing an impending French settlement and takeover, the majority of Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British in 1840. Land tenure issues stemming from the treaty are still being actively negotiated in New Zealand. The UK declared New Zealand a separate colony in 1841 and granted limited self-government in 1852. Different traditions of authority and land use led to a series of wars between Europeans and various Maori tribes from the 1840s to the 1870s. Along with disease, these conflicts halved the Maori population. In the 1890s, New Zealand initially expressed interest in joining independence talks with Australia but ultimately opted against it and changed its status to an independent dominion in 1907. New Zealand provided more than 100,000 troops during each World War, many of whom fought as part of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). New Zealand reaffirmed its independence in 1947 and signed the Australia, New Zealand, and US (ANZUS) Treaty in 1951. Beginning in 1984, New Zealand began to adopt nuclear-free policies, contributing to a dispute with the US over naval ship visits that led the US to suspend its defense obligations to New Zealand in 1986, but bilateral relations and military ties have been revitalized since the 2010s with new security agreements. A key challenge for Auckland that has emerged over the past decade is balancing concerns over China’s growing influence in the Pacific region with its role as New Zealand's largest export destination. New Zealand has close ties with Australia based to a large extent on the two nations’ common origins as British colonies and their shared military history.
- Location
- Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia.
- Climate
- Temperate with sharp regional contrasts.
- Terrain
- Predominately mountainous with large coastal plains.
- Highest point
- Aoraki/Mount Cook 3,724 m; note - the mountain's height was 3,764 m until 14 December 1991 when it lost about 10 m in an avalanche of rock and ice; erosion of the ice cap since then has brought the height down another 30 m.
- Lowest point
- Pacific Ocean 0 m.
- Coastline
- 15,134 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 0 km.
- Major lakes
- Fresh water lake(s): Lake Taupo - 610 sq km.
- Natural resources
- Natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 36.9% (2023 est.); arable land: 2% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 34.6% (2023 est.); forest: 38.6% (2023 est.); other: 24.5% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity volcanism: significant volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 m) has a history of large eruptions in the past century; Taranaki has the potential to produce dangerous avalanches and lahars; other historically active volcanoes include Okataina, Raoul Island, Tongariro, and White Island; see note 2 under "Geography - note".
- Geographic note
- Note 1: consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands; South Island, the larger main island, is the 12th-largest island in the world and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps; North Island is the 14th-largest island in the world and is not as mountainous, but it is marked by volcanism note 2: New Zealand lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes note 3: almost 90% of the population lives in cities and over three-quarters on North Island; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world.
- Languages
- English (de facto official) 95.4%, Maori (de jure official) 4%, Samoan 2.2%, Northern Chinese 2%, Hindi 1.5%, French 1.2%, Yue 1.1%, New Zealand Sign Language (de jure official) 0.5%, other or not stated 17.2% (2018 est.)
- Religions
- Christian 37.3% (Catholic 10.1%, Anglican 6.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 5.2%, Pentecostal 1.8%, Methodist 1.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.2%, other 10.7%), Hindu 2.7%, Maori 1.3%, Muslim, 1.3%, Buddhist 1.1%, other religion 1.6% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 48.6%, objected to answering 6.7% (2018 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- European 64.1%, Maori 16.5%, Chinese 4.9%, Indian 4.7%, Samoan 3.9%, Tongan 1.8%, Cook Islands Maori 1.7%, English 1.5%, Filipino 1.5%, New Zealander 1%, other 13.7% (2018 est.)
- Economy
- High-income, globally integrated Pacific island economy; strong agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism sectors; reliant on Chinese market for exports; recovery trajectory following deep post-pandemic recession; challenges of fiscal deficits, below-average productivity, cost of living, and drop in net migration.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
New Zealand in Numbers
- Population
- 5.32 million
- GDP
- US$264.1 billion
- GDP per person
- US$49,591
- Life expectancy
- 82.0 years
- Population growth
- 0.65% a year
- Population density
- 20 per km²
- Urban population
- 84.0%
- Surface area
- 267,710 km²
- Forest cover
- 38.9%
- Arable land
- 2.0%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 93.5%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
New Zealand in Depth
History
The first people to reach New Zealand were Polynesians in oceangoing waka, who are believed to have arrived in several waves between about 1280 and 1350. According to most Māori oral traditions, the islands were first discovered by the semi-legendary explorer Kupe while in pursuit of a giant octopus. These traditions hold that Kupe was followed by a great fleet of settlers, who set out from Hawaiki in eastern Polynesia around 1350. The existence of a single great fleet that settled New Zealand has since been superseded by the belief that the majority of settlement was a planned and deliberate event that occurred over several decades.
The exact date of this settlement is unclear, with recent sources favouring settlement in the 14th century.
Geography
New Zealand is near the centre of the water hemisphere and comprises two main islands and more than 700 smaller islands. The two main islands (the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu) are separated by Cook Strait, 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at its narrowest point. Besides the North and South Islands, the five largest inhabited islands are Stewart Island (across the Foveaux Strait), Chatham Island, Great Barrier Island (in the Hauraki Gulf), D'Urville Island (in the Marlborough Sounds) and Waiheke Island (about 22 km (14 mi) from central Auckland).
Economy
New Zealand has an advanced market economy, ranked 16th in the 2022 Human Development Index, and fourth in the 2022 Index of Economic Freedom. It is a high-income economy with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (in United States dollar equivalents) of $48,071 as of 2023.The currency is the New Zealand dollar, informally known as the "Kiwi dollar"; it also circulates in the Cook Islands (see Cook Islands dollar), Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands.
Historically, extractive industries have contributed strongly to New Zealand's economy, focusing at different times on sealing, whaling, flax, gold, kauri gum, and native timber.
Demographics
The 2023 New Zealand census enumerated a resident population of 4,993,923, an increase of 6.3% over the 2018 census figure. As of October 2026, the total population has risen to an estimated 5,358,440. New Zealand's population increased at a rate of 1.9% per year in the seven years ended June 2020. In September 2020 Statistics New Zealand reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people in September 2019, according to population estimates based on the 2018 census.
New Zealand's population today is concentrated to the north of the country, with around 76.4% of the population living in the North Island and 23.6% in the South Island as of June 2025. During the 20th century, New Zealand's population drifted north.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: New Zealand (CC BY-SA 4.0).
New Zealand: Key Facts
| Currency | New Zealand dollar |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Māori, New Zealand Sign Language, English |
| Head of state | Charles III |
| Head of government | Christopher Luxon |
| Form of government | parliamentary monarchy |
| Calling code | +64 |
| Internet domain | .nz |
| Highest point | Aoraki / Mount Cook |
| Lowest point | Taieri Plain |
| Established | 13 December 1986 |
Facts from Wikidata Q664 (CC0).
History of New Zealand: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of New Zealand, from British Colonial Empire in 1840 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| British Colonial Empire | 1840–1957 CE | Most |
| The British Empire | 1840–1957 CE | Most |
| New Zealand | 1948–2024 CE | Most |
Historical Maps of New Zealand
New Zealand on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting New Zealand
New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, a country of stunning and diverse natural beauty: jagged mountains, rolling pasture land, steep fiords, pristine trout-filled lakes, raging rivers, scenic beaches, and active volcanic zones. These islands form a unique bioregion inhabited by flightless birds seen nowhere else, such as kākāpō and kiwi. New Zealanders have adopted the kiwi as a national symbol, and have even taken the word Kiwi as a name for themselves.
The islands are not densely populated, the South Island even less so than the North Island, but they are easily accessible. The country has modern visitor facilities and transport networks that are reasonably well developed. New Zealand often adds an adventurous twist to nature. It is the original home of jet-boating through shallow gorges as well as bungy jumping off anything high enough to give a thrill.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: New Zealand (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in New Zealand
54 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 1.38 million | Auckland | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Wellington | 393,400 | Manawatu-Wanganui | National capital |
| 3 | Manukau | 375,600 | Auckland | Populated place |
| 4 | Christchurch | 363,200 | Canterbury | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Waitakere | 208,100 | Auckland | Populated place |
| 6 | North Shore | 205,605 | Auckland | Populated place |
| 7 | Hamilton | 148,200 | Waikato | Admin-1 capital |
| 8 | Tauranga | 121,500 | Bay of Plenty | Admin-1 capital |
| 9 | Dunedin | 117,700 | Otago | Admin-1 capital |
| 10 | Lower Hutt | 102,400 | Wellington | Populated place |
| 11 | Palmerston North | 82,400 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Populated place |
| 12 | Hastings | 66,100 | Gisborne | Admin-1 capital |
| 13 | Nelson | 60,800 | Nelson | Admin-1 capital |
| 14 | Napier | 57,800 | Gisborne | Populated place |
| 15 | Rotorua | 56,200 | Auckland | Populated place |
| 16 | New Plymouth | 52,500 | Taranaki | Admin-1 capital |
| 17 | Porirua | 52,500 | Wellington | Populated place |
| 18 | Whangarei | 52,200 | Northland | Admin-1 capital |
| 19 | Invercargill | 49,200 | Southland | Admin-1 capital |
| 20 | Wanganui | 43,200 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Admin-1 capital |
| 21 | Upper Hutt | 39,200 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Populated place |
| 22 | Gisborne | 34,300 | Gisborne | Admin-1 capital |
| 23 | Blenheim | 30,300 | Marlborough | Populated place |
| 24 | Timaru | 27,200 | Canterbury | Populated place |
| 25 | Pukekohe | 26,300 | Auckland | Populated place |
The other 29 (population, region, role)
- Paraparaumu · 25,263 · Wellington · Populated place
- Taupo · 22,600 · Auckland · Populated place
- Masterton · 20,200 · Manawatu-Wanganui · Populated place
- Levin · 19,550 · Manawatu-Wanganui · Populated place
- Whakatane · 18,700 · Bay of Plenty · Populated place
- Ashburton · 17,700 · Canterbury · Populated place
- Queenstown · 16,600 · Otago · Populated place
- Cambridge · 15,192 · Waikato · Populated place
- Tokoroa · 13,350 · Waikato · Populated place
- Oamaru · 13,000 · Otago · Populated place
- Hawera · 11,100 · Taranaki · Populated place
- Kaiapoi · 10,200 · Canterbury · Populated place
- Greymouth · 10,100 · West Coast · Admin-1 capital
- Gore · 9,750 · Southland · Populated place
- Thames · 6,756 · Waikato · Populated place
- Kerikeri · 5,856 · Northland · Populated place
- Kaitaia · 5,202 · Northland · Populated place
- Wanaka · 5,037 · Otago · Populated place
- Westport · 3,900 · West Coast · Populated place
- Turangi · 3,240 · Waikato · Populated place
- Hokitika · 3,078 · West Coast · Populated place
- Picton · 2,928 · Malborough · Populated place
- Kaikoura · 2,172 · Canterbury · Populated place
- Te Anau · 1,857 · Southland · Populated place
- Alofi · 581 · Niue aggregation · Admin-1 capital
- Atafu · 524 · Tokelau aggregation · Admin-1 capital
- Oban · 310 · Southland · Populated place
- Waitangi · 300 · Chatham Is. aggregation · Admin-1 capital
- Raoul Island Station · South I. remainder · Meteorological Station
Highest Mountains in New Zealand
5 mountains recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aoraki/Mount Cook | 3,754 m | 12,316 ft | Oceania |
| 2 | Tapuaenuku | 2,885 m | 9,465 ft | Oceania |
| 3 | Mount Ruapehu | 2,797 m | 9,177 ft | Oceania |
| 4 | Mount Taranaki | 2,518 m | 8,261 ft | Oceania |
| 5 | Mount Anglem | 980 m | 3,215 ft | Oceania |
Largest Lakes in New Zealand
20 lakes recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Taupo | 603 km² | Lake |
| 2 | Lake Wakatipu | 317 km² | Lake |
| 3 | Lake Wanaka | 178 km² | Lake |
| 4 | Lake Pukaki | 164 km² | Reservoir |
| 5 | Lake Hawea | 141 km² | Reservoir |
| 6 | Lake Manapouri | 130 km² | Reservoir |
| 7 | Lake Tekapo | 86 km² | Lake |
| 8 | Lake Rotorua | 80 km² | Lake |
| 9 | Lake Wairarapa | 67 km² | Lake |
| 10 | Lake Hauroko | 67 km² | Lake |
Rivers in New Zealand
55 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
Ports in New Zealand
19 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collingwood | 56.7 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | point_of_interest |
| 2 | Greymouth | 56.7 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 3 | Tarakohe | 53 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 4 | Manukau Harbor | 53 m | Minor | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
| 5 | Wanganui | 53 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 6 | Westport | 53 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 7 | Opua | 49.4 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 8 | Nelson | 45.7 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
| 9 | Whangarei | 42.1 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 10 | Wellington | 38.4 m | Major | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
The other 9 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Gisborne · 38.4 m · Small · Australia & New Zealand · medium vessels
- Timaru · 38.4 m · Small · Australia & New Zealand · medium vessels
- Port Lyttelton · 34.7 m · Very Small · Australia & New Zealand · medium vessels
- Napier · 34.7 m · Small · Australia & New Zealand · large vessels
- Bluff Harbor · 31.1 m · Small · Australia & New Zealand · medium vessels
- Akaroa · 31.1 m · Very Small · Australia & New Zealand · medium vessels
- Picton · 31.1 m · Small · Australia & New Zealand · large vessels
- Otago Harbor · 27.4 m · Small · Australia & New Zealand · medium vessels
- Whangaroa · 23.8 m · Very Small · Australia & New Zealand · medium vessels
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in New Zealand
3 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Te Wahipounamu | 1990 | Natural | (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) |
| 2 | Tongariro National Park | 1990 | Mixed | (vi) (vii) (viii) |
| 3 | New Zealand Subantarctic Islands | 1998 | Natural | (ix) (x) |
Largest Islands of New Zealand
10 islands recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 534,847 km² | Island group |
| 2 | Northern Cook Islands | 288,063 km² | Island group |
| 3 | Southern Cook Islands | 173,585 km² | Island group |
| 4 | South Island | 149,338 km² | Island |
| 5 | North Island | 113,861 km² | Island |
| 6 | Tokelau | 8,527 km² | Island group |
| 7 | Kermadec Islands | 2,179 km² | Island group |
| 8 | Stewart Island | 1,615 km² | Island |
| 9 | Auckland Islands | 515 km² | Island group |
| 10 | Chatham Islands | 407 km² | Island group |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of New Zealand
7 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N.I. Volcanic Plateau | 3,955 km² | Plateau | Oceania |
| 2 | Fiordland | 2,908 km² | Coast | Oceania |
| 3 | Marlborough Sounds | 2,356 km² | Coast | Oceania |
| 4 | Coromandel | 1,886 km² | Pen/cape | Oceania |
| 5 | Southern Alps | 1,419 km² | Range/mtn | Oceania |
| 6 | Banks Peninsula | 343 km² | Pen/cape | Oceania |
| 7 | Otago Peninsula | 182 km² | Pen/cape | Oceania |
States and Provinces of New Zealand
6 first-level divisions with their own map.
Countries Bordering New Zealand
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Oceania
New Zealand: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of New Zealand?
- The capital of New Zealand is Wellington.
- What is the population of New Zealand?
- New Zealand has a population of about 5.32 million, the #125 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is New Zealand?
- New Zealand covers 268,021 km², ranking #76 by area, with about 20 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is New Zealand in?
- New Zealand is in Oceania.
- Which countries border New Zealand?
- New Zealand shares a land or maritime border with Australia.
- What is the largest city in New Zealand?
- Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, with a metropolitan population of about 1.38 million.
- What is the highest mountain in New Zealand?
- The highest summit recorded for New Zealand in YearMaps is Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3,754 m (12,316 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in New Zealand?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering New Zealand is Lake Taupo, at roughly 603 km².