New Zealand vs. United Kingdom
Geography
| New Zealand | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia | Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France |
| Geographic coordinates | 41 00 S, 174 00 E | 54 00 N, 2 00 W |
| Map references | Oceania | Europe |
| Area | total: 268,838 sq km land: 264,537 sq km water: 4,301 sq km note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands | total: 243,610 sq km land: 241,930 sq km water: 1,680 sq km note 1: the percentage area breakdown of the four UK countries is: England 53%, Scotland 32%, Wales 9%, and Northern Ireland 6% note 2: includes Rockall and the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland |
| Area - comparative | almost twice the size of North Carolina; about the size of Colorado | twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon |
| Land boundaries | total: 0 km | total: 499 km border countries (1): Ireland 499 km |
| Coastline | 15,134 km | 12,429 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | temperate with sharp regional contrasts | temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
| Terrain | predominately mountainous with large coastal plains | mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast |
| Elevation extremes | 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 mean elevation: 388 m | highest point: Ben Nevis 1,345 m lowest point: The Fens -4 m mean elevation: 162 m |
| Natural resources | natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone | coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 43.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 1.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 41.1% (2018 est.) forest: 31.4% (2018 est.) other: 25.4% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 71% (2018 est.) arable land: 25.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 45.7% (2018 est.) forest: 11.9% (2018 est.) other: 17.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 7,210 sq km (2012) | 950 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity volcanism: significant volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 m), which last erupted in 2007, 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" | winter windstorms; floods |
| Environment - current issues | water quality and availability; rapid urbanisation; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species; negative effects of climate change | air pollution improved but remains a concern, particularly in the London region; soil pollution from pesticides and heavy metals; decline in marine and coastal habitats brought on by pressures from housing, tourism, and industry |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - 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, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire 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 | lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel (the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel); because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters |
| Total renewable water resources | 327 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 147 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | over three-quarters of New Zealanders, including the indigenous Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas | the core of the population lies in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scotish lowlands between Endinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast |
Source: CIA Factbook
