New Zealand comprises two main islands (North Island and South Island) in the South West Pacific Ocean, as well as a number of small islands. In association with New Zealand are the Cook Islands and others.
New Zealand is geographically isolated, about 2000 km south east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and closest neighbours to the North are Fiji, Tonga and New Caledonia.
The total land area of New Zealand is a little less than that of Japan, and a little bigger than the UK. The South Island is the largest and has the Southern Alps down its centre, with Mount Cook the highest peak. Altogether there are 18 peaks over 3000 m in the South Island. The North Island is less mountainous, but has volcanic activity, with the highest mountain, Mount Ruapehu an active volcano. The landscape of New Zealand became popular through the films Lord of the Rings and The Last Samurai.
New Zealand has a population of around 4 million, and as New Zealand is a mainly urban country, over 70% of the population live in 16 main urban areas, more than half in the four biggest cities, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.