Why is New Zealand famous?

Answer 1

New Zealand is "new" in that it was named after the Dutch province of Zeeland. New Zealand was initially discovered by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Dutch cartographers at some point began calling it Nova Zeelandia. James Cook, the British explorer, anglicised the name to New Zealand.

Answer 2

New Zealand lies over a major tectonic plate boundary, and this activity drives both the volcanic activity in the north, and the mountain growth in the south. The Southern Alps have been pushed up by about 20km, and eroded back to a stump of about 3km.

The movement of these plates against each other is the proximate cause, and in Wanaka where I live, the land is moving SW at about 40mm per year. From this twisting of the land, the distance between Dunedin and Queenstown (about 150km) has shrunk by about 150cm in the last 150 years. But in this case, a quite plastic deformation of the land into a large 'basin and range' topographic system has absorbed the strain. Essentially without earthquakes within that region.

The Taupo Volcanic Zone in the north is one of the very active such areas in the world, and the Wikipedia entry on the Oruanui eruption is worth a look. Taupo has the highest Volcanic Explosivity Index of any volcano.

Its good to live in such an interesting country.

Answer 3

For it's Rugby team and sea, and views and county side.

Answer 4

because we are the southern most country in the world

Answer 5

Many countries with big cities are polluted due to high traffic and the needs of their citizens. New Zealand is no different than other countries in that respect.