New Zealand Grade 11 student School № 113 Victoria Ivanova
Etymology Aotearoa (often translated as "land of the long white cloud") is the current Māori name for New Zealand, and is also used in New Zealand English. The first European explorer, who visited the shores of this country, the Dutchman Abel Tasman named it «Staten Landt» . This name has been transformed by Dutch cartographers in Latin Nova Zeelandia after one of the provinces of the Netherlands - Zealand the Dutch name of New Zealand. Later, the British navigator James Cook used the English version of the name, New Zealand, in their records, and that it became the official name of the country.
Biodiversity New Zealand's geographic isolation for 80 million years and island biogeography is responsible for the country's unique species of animals, fungi and plants. They have either evolved from Gondwanan wildlife or the few organisms that have managed to reach the shores flying, swimming or being carried across the sea. The two main types of forest are those dominated by broadleaf trees with emergent podocarps , or by southern beech in cooler climates. The remaining vegetation types consist of grasslands, the majority of which are tussock.
The forests were dominated by birds, and the lack of mammalian predators led to some like the kiwi, kakapo and takahē evolving flight lessness. The arrival of humans, associated changes to habitat, and the introduction of rats, ferrets and other mammals led to the extinction of many bird species, including large birds like the moa and Haast's eagle.
Culture Social organization was largely communal with families (whanau), subtribes (hapu) and tribes (iwi) ruled by a chief (rangatira) whose position was subject to the community's approval. The British and Irish immigrants brought aspects of their own culture to New Zealand also influenced Māori culture, particularly with the introduction of Christianity.
As part of the resurgence of Māori culture, the traditional crafts of carving and weaving are now more widely practiced and Māori artists are increasing in number and influence. Most Māori carvings feature human figures, generally with three fingers and either a natural-looking, detailed head or a grotesque head.
