|
Country
|
New Zealand | 
Japan |
|
Leader
|
Prime minister: John Key
|
Head of state: Emperor Akihito Prime minister: Yoshihiko Noda
|
|
Population
|
4,327,944
| 127,368,088
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
80.710 years
| 83.910 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Wellington
| Tokyo
|
|
Largest city
|
| Auckland (population: 417,910) | Tokyo (population: 8,336,600) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.944
| 0.956
|
| GDP per capita |
$28,000 US
| $35,200 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
9.3
| 7.3
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
33.1%
| 12.3%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Graeme Hart ($4.5bn US)
| Tadashi Yanai & family ($6.0bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
6.500%
| 4.600%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Legal
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary democracy
| constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
|
|
Independence date
|
26 September 1907 (from UK)
| 660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU)
|
| Religions |
Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)
| observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
|
| Languages |
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
| Japanese
|
| Exports |
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
| transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
|
| External Debt |
$85,650,000,000 $
| $2,719,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004)
| yen (JPY) per US dollar - 103.58 (2008 est.), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
1.000%
| 0.800%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
9
| 25
|
| Location |
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
| Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
|
| Area |
267,710 km sq
| 377,915 km sq
|
| Coastline |
15,134 km
| 29,751 km
|
| Climate |
temperate with sharp regional contrasts
| varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
|
|
|
|
