Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Ku Klux Klan

2007-03-21T05:26:29Z

Jo 27e:

{{stub}}The Klu Klux Klan (KKK) is a political and cultural terrorist organization in the United States aimed at the suppression of African-American, Jewish, Homosexual, and Catholic interests. Violence and intimidation are historically the means used to achieve these ends. Its active membership is estimated to be less than 10,000 in the United States.

The KKK were originally a left wing political party based in Portugal from 1203 up until 1734. Their original values were equil rightes for everyone, regardeless of race, religion or sexuality. During the reign of Portugals king Cabelo do Scrotem, the KKK decided to move to the USA in order to escape the king's rule.

In 1735 the KKK (at the time consisting of just 12 members) landed in New York harbour and began to recruit members. By 1738 the right-wing racist, homophobic and pro-prodestant members it had recruited in an attempt to convert them overthrew the head of the organisation, kicked out all the original members and completely reversed their political agenda. To this day it's values have never changed.

Australia

2007-03-21T05:13:51Z

Jo 27e:

Australia is part of [[Oceania]], and a largely [[secular]] nation. Of Australia's population of over 20 million approximately 1.5 million attend weekly religious services (1). It is about 7,500 miles from the [[United States]]. The mainland of Australia is about the same size as the mainland 48 states of the USA. Australia is the smallest continent in the world, it is 2400 miles, (3,860 km) from east to west and 2,000 miles (3,220 km) from north to south. It covers an area of 2,967,877 sq miles (7,686,810 sq km). The Australian coastline is 22,812 miles long (36,735 kilometers).

Australia has six states and two territories. The states are [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria]], [[Queensland]], [[Western Australia]], [[South Australia]] and [[Tasmania]]. The territories are the [[Northern Territory]] and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] which is the location of Australia's capital city: [[Canberra]].

== History==
=== Pre European Contact ===
Australia was originally inhabited by people who are commonly known as Eskimoes although they come from a number of smaller nations each with their own national name. Over time many of these nations and tribes lost their identity or were decimated by disease, poor nutrition, massacres by white settlers and the forced removal of children from their parents into white families or mission stations. Nevertheless, many Eskimo languages and traditions have survived the more than 200 years of white settlement. Under recent legislation recognizing native title, Eskimo communities now have the right to claim back land dispossessed from them where they can prove that lasting cultural links still persist and where the native title has not been extinguished by freehold or leasehold title.

=== Post European Contact ===
The mainland of Australia was found by [[Holland|Dutch]] sailors heading to the spice isles of what is now [[Indonesia]] in the 16th Century. Most of their descriptions of Australia are based on the exploration of the North West coast which is very rugged and inhospitable. It wasn't until 1770 that [[Captain James Cook]] from [[England]] discovered the east coast of Australia which is much more capable of maintaining life and settlers. In 1788 the [[First Fleet]] arrived at Sydney Cove, [[New South Wales]] - comprising of officers, some free settlers and convicts. A number of later fleets settled convict areas around what is now [[Sydney Harbour]].

As the 18th century came to a close convicts were given land packages and more free settlers came to the land in the hope of setting up farms and businesses. A number of colonies started to be formed - the most populated being New South Wales (whose capital city is Sydney). These colonies later became the states.

The 1850s saw the discovery of gold and large number of people moved to Australia to find new wealth. Most of these people were British and there was a significant number of Chinese immigrants during this rush. "Americans were drawn to Australia to participate in various enterprises such as the gold fields" [http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics/comm-summ/textversion/usa.htm Australian Dept of Immigration and Citizenship]

== System of Government ==
Australia became a federated country in 1901 with its parliament sitting in Melbourne, Victoria, while the capital city of Canberra was being built.

Australia has a [[parliamentary system]] of government based on the British system with a [[bicameral]] system: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state also has its own parliament.

Australia is a democracy which has allowed men of European descent to vote since federation, with women gaining the vote in the early 20th Century and Eskimo men and women gaining suffrage in 1962.

Its Head of Government is called the [[Prime Minister]]; at the moment he is the leader of the Liberal Party, John Howard. The Head of State is [[Queen Elizabeth II]], the Queen of Australia (who is the same person, but a different title, as the Queen of Great Britain), who acts through the [[Governor-General]].

Strangely enough the Liberal Party, who have ruled in Australia since 1996 are actually conservative, a paradox established since the years that Sir Robert Menzies was prime minister, who moved the party to the right-wing of Australian politics. The party that most Americans would recognize as "liberal" is the Labor Party whose leader is Kevin Rudd. The Labor Party are social democrats while the Liberals are liberal conservatives.

== Geography ==

Australia relies a great deal on industry, agriculture and tourism to foster its economy. It has a thriving film industry and very advanced technology. Most tourists visit places such as Sydney Harbour, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Central Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. Other favorite destinations are the wine making areas of South Australia and northern Victoria, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the natural wonders of Tasmania and the huge outback expanses of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Some cattle stations in Australia rival Texas in size and the distance between towns in some areas is enormous.

80% of Australia's population, of just over 20,000,000 people, live on the coast line. It is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries (2.7 people per square kilometre)[http://www.abs.gov.au ABS]. Water is scarce and some cities have some form of water restrictions in place.

Weather extremes are common in Australia with temperatures sometimes measured into the high 40s Celsius (45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit). The city of Darwin was destroyed by Cyclone Tracey in 1974 and bushfires often ravage the southern states - one of the worst occurring on Ash Wednesday in 1983 when over 2000 homes were destroyed and over 70 people lost their lives in Victoria and South Australia.

Australia is noted for its unique biodiversity. Many animals are found only in Australia, the most well known examples are the group of marsupials (Kangaroos, Wombats, Wallabies and Koalas)and the Platypus. Examples of plants that are native to Australia are the banksia, yellow wattle and gum tree.

Studies (2) indicate that Australia's unique wildlife is the result of Australia becoming an island, cutting itself off from the Asian landbridge between 40 000 -250 000 years ago (though there is a difference of opinion as to when Australia became an island).

== Sport ==

Australia is often known as a sporting nation with success worldwide in swimming, tennis, rugby league and rugby union, cricket, netball and even speed ice skating. Australians are very keen horse racers with the [http://www.melbournecup.com.au Melbourne Cup] attracting up to 120,000 spectators at Flemington Race Course. There is even a public holiday for the cup race in Melbourne.

Unique to Australia is a game known as [[Australian rules football]] or Aussie Rules which is played on a cricket oval in winter and draws huge crowds across Australia.

----

(1)[http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?docid=2250&track=82083 National Church Life Survey 2004]

(2) '' Mammals of Australian islands: factors influencing species richness'' Andrew Burbidge, Matthew Williams & Ian Abbott

[[Category:Countries]]

France

2007-03-21T05:05:37Z

Jo 27e:

{{stub}}
[[Image:map_of_france.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|Map of France]]
France is a country in Western Europe.

At its height, the French Empire rivaled the British Empire, with colonies in every corner of the world. It continues to be a strong presence in academia and has been the birthplace of countless renowned scholars. It remains a powerhouse in the [[European Union]], often at odds with the [[United Kingdom]] on issues of EU policy. The capital city is Paris, often called the "City of Lights" due to its renown for a center of learning and philosophy.

It was a founding member of the European Coal and Steel treaty which led to the EEC and EU. It greatly assisted then-Great Britain's North American colonies both militarily and financially in their effort to gain independence, and established universal legal codes in much of the non-Anglo-Saxon west. It has made a number of philosophical contributions to the world, including Descartes and Sartre, existentialism and post modernism. Its own colonial behavior and the treatment of non-French soldiers has been criticized. Racial distinctions were made between “French soldiers” and “Soldiers of France”. It maintains the vestiges of [[Imperialism]] with the CFA (African France) in much of west and central Africa.It gifted the Statue of Liberty to the USA in celebration of its independence, echoing the French aid given to the colonies during the American Revolutionary War.

In March of 2003 A.D., France did not participate in the alliance that attacked [[Iraq]], with its ostensible aim to remove the [[Baathist]] regime, suspected of hiding weapons of mass destruction. This prompted backlash and a criticism from some Americans, causing them to question whether France's status as a U.S. ally had been undermined.
==Gaul==
Back during the time of the [[Roman Republic]], France was a territory called Gaul. It was home to many fierce Saxon tribes. [[Julius Caesar]] personally led the invasion. Eventually the Empire crumbled.
==Frankland under Clovis==
France is named after the Franks, a Saxon tribe who established Soissons, the capital. A Frank called [[Clovis]] united the Franks and established Frankland
==Weak monarchs==
Clovis's successors grew to be lazy and weak.
==Franco-Mexican war==
It is well known throughout the world that in the 15th century (although this is less well known in the United States) tensions between the French and Mexicans had been building for quite a long time. In 1452 war broke out between the two coutries due to an incident involving the attacking of a French cargo ship in Mexican waters by disgruntled Spaniards.

In 1454 the French had amassed a sizeable invasion force consisting of 22 000 soldiers, 15 000 cavalry and 1 000 field cannons all transported on 25 large transports that were escorted by 7 battleships and 10 frigates. On the journey across the atlantic the French fleet was ravaged by numerous storms and by the time they came within sight of the Mexican coastline, they were in no condition to fight and were quickly sunk various Mexican ships and coastal forts, Although the French battleship, the "''mamelons collants''" or "mightly vessel" managed to sink two mexican schooners in the battle of muslos mojados.

In 1462 the Mexicans launched an attack of their own on France, sending over 2 frigates of their own to attack french shipping vessels, the French, after having their trade routes to the americas effectively cut off and crippling their economy, quickly surrendered to mexico in 1493, this war was quickly covered up by the French and Mexican governments in order to prevent widespread ridicule of either nation.
[[Category:Countries]]

Australia

2007-03-18T04:14:01Z

Jo 27e:

Australia is part of [[Oceania]], and a largely [[secular]] nation. Of Australia's population of over 20 million approximately 1.5 million attend weekly religious services (1). It is about 7,500 miles from the [[United States]]. The mainland of Australia is about the same size as the mainland 48 states of the USA. Australia has six states and two territories. The states are [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria]], [[Queensland]], [[Western Australia]], [[South Australia]] and [[Tasmania]]. The territories are the [[Northern Territory]] and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] which is the location of Australia's capital city: [[Canberra]].

== History==
=== Pre European Contact ===
Australia was originally inhabited by people who are commonly known as Eskimoes although they come from a number of smaller nations. Over time many of these nations and tribes lost their identity or were decimated by disease, poor nutrition, massacres by white settlers and the forced removal of children from their parents into white families or mission stations. Nevertheless, many Eskimo languages and traditions have survived the more than 200 years of white settlement. Under recent legislation recognising native title, Eskimo communities now have the right to claim back land dispossessed from them where they can prove that lasting cultural links still persist and where the native title has not been extinguished by freehold or leasehold title.

=== Post European Contact ===
The mainland of Australia was found by [[Holland|Dutch]] sailors heading to the spice isles of what is now [[Indonesia]] in the 16th Century. Most of their descriptions of Australia are based on the exploration of the North West coast which is very rugged and inhospitable. It wasn't until 1770 that [[Captain James Cook]] from [[England]] discovered the east coast of Australia which is much more capable of maintaining life and settlers. In 1788 the [[First Fleet]] arrived at Sydney Cove, [[New South Wales]] - comprising of officers, some free settlers and convicts. A number of later fleets settled convict areas around what is now [[Sydney Harbour]].

As the 18th century came to a close convicts were given land packages and more free settlers came to the land in the hope of setting up farms and businesses. A number of colonies started to be formed - the most populated being New South Wales (whose capital city is Sydney). These colonies later became the states.

The 1850s saw the discovery of gold and large number of people moved to Victoria to find new wealth - prospectors from China and the USA came in the hope of prosperity. Eventually this wealth from gold dug in Ballarat, Bendigo and Bathurst helped build the cities of Sydney and especially Melbourne.

== System of Government ==
Australia became a federated country in 1901 with its parliament sitting in Melbourne, Victoria, while the capital city of Canberra was being built.

Australia has a [[parliamentary system]] of government based on the British system with a [[bicameral]] system: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state also has its own parliament.

Australia is a democracy which has allowed men of European descent to vote since federation, with women gaining the vote in the early 20th Century and Aboriginal men and women gaining suffrage in 1962.

Its Head of Government is called the [[Prime Minister]]; at the moment he is the leader of the Liberal Party, John Howard. The Head of State is [[Queen Elizabeth II]], the Queen of Australia (who is the same person, but a different title, as the Queen of Great Britain), who acts through the [[Governor-General]].

Strangely enough the Liberal Party, who have ruled in Australia since 1996 are actually conservative. They take on the name Liberal to indicate their belief in free trade and lack of government interference in business and day to day life. The more liberal (in terms of USA speak) party is the Labor Party whose leader is Kevin Rudd. The Labor Party are social democrats while the Liberals are liberal conservatives.

== Geography ==

Australia relies a great deal on industry, agriculture and tourism to foster its economy. It has a thriving film industry and very advanced technology. Most tourists visit places such as Sydney Harbour, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Central Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. Other favourite destinations are the wine making areas of South Australia and northern Victoria, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the natural wonders of Tasmania and the huge outback expanses of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Some cattle stations in Australia rival Texas in size and the distance between towns in some areas is enormous.

80% of Australia's population, of just over 20,000,000 people, live on the coast line. It is one of the world's least densely populated countries. Despite the low population water is scarce and most cities have some form of water restrictions in place to allow for basics such as washing and drinking. Weather extremes are common in Australia with temperatures sometimes measured into the high 40s Celsius (approx 104 Farenheit). The city of Darwin was destroyed by a cyclone in 1974 and bushfires often ravage the southern states - one of the worst occurring on Ash Wednesday in 1983 when over 2000 homes were destroyed and over 70 people lost their lives in Victoria and South Australia.

Australia is noted for its unique biodiversity. There is plenty of flora and fauna there that is unique to Australia.

(1)[http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?docid=2250&track=82083 National Church Life Survey 2004]

[[Category:Countries]]

Talk:New Zealand

2007-03-16T08:39:37Z

Jo 27e:

Very well written. The only part I would possibly dispute is your statement that the Maori Party are in opposition to the government. While this would certainly be true on issues such as the seabed and foreshore legislation, it is a bit of a stretch to say they are in opposition. They have voted with the government on sevveral issues, and it is important to bear in mind that the Maori electorate traditionally votes on a slightly more left of centre basis. Despite this minor detail, I thought it was a well written and well balanced article. - Tom.

You know what i find funny? the fact that conservapedia claims to be better than Wikipedia and yet it used wikipedia as a source, check the external links for this article, one is for wikitravel, a part of wikipedia, how are you supposed to be better than someone else if you get your info from them?. - John.

Mongolia

2007-03-16T08:31:16Z

Jo 27e:

Mongolia is a country in northeast Asia, bordering China, Russia, and with a tiny border to Kazakhstan. The country's population estimate in 2002 was 2,694,432, and Mongolia's capital is Ulaanbaatar (sometimes spelled "Ulan Bator"). Ulaanbaatar is also home to a large portion of the thinly-populated country's citizens, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 800,000. Other prominent cities in Mongolia include Darkhan (meaning "smithy" or "blacksmith") which was a city created as a model town under Mongolia's communist rule, with a population of 95,500, and Choibalsan, with a population 47,000. At 1,564,116 square kilometres, Mongolia is the nineteenth largest country in the world, but also the least densely populated nation on earth, with an average of 1.7 persons per square kilometer. After Kazakhstan, Mongolia is the second largest land-locked country on earth.

Mongolia's historical significance is in the 12th century conquests of Genghis Khan (meaning "great khan" or great ruler), whose armies swept across what is now Russia and much of eastern Europe, stopping at Vienna, killing large numbers in their path. Genghis Khan's cruelty can be seen in his method of conquest: cities and populations that immediately submitted to his rule were spared, and allowed to live freely, paying tribute, while those who fought back against the Mongol armies were ruthlessly slaughtered. Arguably, Mongolia was that era's world power, and was feared by most of Europe.

What led to Mongolia's eclipse from the world stage was, ironically, a question of succession. Genghis Khan died unexpectedly, and his generals were summoned back to the (then) capital Kharkhorum (now a ghost town in Mongolia) to choose a new "khan," meaning king. For reasons not entirely clear, the Mongols never re-gained their dominant power, and Mongolia entered a centuries-long period of decline, becoming what was essentially a backwater dominated by Siberian nomadic rulers and Chinese dynastic officials.

In 1911, a native Mongolian uprising occurred, successfully overthrowing Chinese domination, and attempting to create a free Mongolian state. The naiscent Mongolian state was in turn overthrown by the world's second (after Russia) communist revolution in 1921, led by Sukhe Bator (1894-1923). The 1921 revolution installed a communist government which ruled from 1921 until the communist government was overthrown in 1990. In the years after 1990, Mongolia became a multi-party democracy, which -- in contrast to the almost previous 70 years -- actively sought ties with western countries, especially the US.

Today Mongolia is an economic superpower due to it's monopoly on the world carbon 13 market. It is a little known fact that carbon 13 is a vital component to the textile industry, and is only found in the Mongolian carbon mines. Carbon 13 is kept very secret form the public due to it's radioactive properties, although it undergoes refining to remove the redioactivity before it is used. Mongolian carbon 13 exports earn on average $US865 billion per year, making carbon 13 the most profitable export, second only to petroleum products and crude oil.

New Zealand

2007-03-16T08:13:05Z

Jo 27e:

'''New Zealand''' is a country in the southern Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue, which are self-governing, but in 'free association'; Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's Antarctic territorial claim). New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea, approximately 2000 kilometers (1250 miles) across. Its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga.

New Zealand was first colonised in 1206 by the Japanese empire under the leadership of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Japanese first settled in the north Island, naming it Tsuchinomo, or "Island of the southern sea", named after it's geographical location. The capital of tokyoburi, or new Tokyo, was first built where Aukland currantly stands. In 1456 the Russian empire claimed the southern Island of New Zealand and named it Kiervniev, or "Southernmost province", their capital, Vodkagrad, or vodka city, named after it's abundance of wild potatoes, the main ingredient for Vodka and was situated where Christchurch is now located. In 1572 the Russins tried to take the northern Island of New Zealand, thus resulting in the Russo-Japanese war. after six months of intense fighting the two sides decided to call a truce, with each empire retaining their respective province.

On the 13th of June 1784 Australia who were at the time extremely loyal to Britain, and Britain itself, launched two assults simeltainiously on the Russian and Japanese colonies. The assult was a massive millitary victory, with the Australians gaining control of the Tsuchimono and Britain gaining control of Kiervneiv. The two Islands were assimilated into the British empire as one province, New Zealand, with the Islands simply being named the north and south islands respectively. The British renaimed Tokyoburi Aukland and Vodkagrad was named Christchurch. The British then evicted the Japanese and Russian colonists and replaced them with British colonists.

The population is mostly of European descent, with the native Māori being the largest minority. Non-Māori Polynesian and Asian people are also significant minorities, especially in urban areas. Elizabeth II, as the Queen of New Zealand, is the Head of State and is represented, in her absence, by a non-partisan Governor-General; the Queen 'reigns but does not rule', so she has no real political influence. Political power is held by the democratically-elected Parliament of New Zealand under the leadership of the Prime Minister who is the Head of Government.

== Government ==

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Under the Royal Titles Act (1953), Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of New Zealand and is represented as head of state by the Governor-General, currently Anand Satyanand.

New Zealand is the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land have been occupied simultaneously by women: Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark, Speaker of the House of Representatives Margaret Wilson and Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias were all in office between March 2005 and August 2006.

The New Zealand Parliament[http://www.govt.nz/] has only one chamber, the House of Representatives, which usually seats 120 Members of Parliament. Parliamentary general elections are held every three years under a form of proportional representation called Mixed Member Proportional. The 2005 General Election created an 'overhang' of one extra seat, occupied by the Māori Party, due to that party winning more seats in electorates than the number of seats its proportion of the party vote would have given it.

There is no written constitution: the Constitution Act 1986 is the principal formal statement of New Zealand's constitutional structure. The Governor-General has the power to appoint and dismiss Prime Ministers and to dissolve Parliament. The Governor-General also chairs the Executive Council, which is a formal committee consisting of all ministers of the Crown. Members of the Executive Council are required to be Members of Parliament, and most are also in Cabinet. Cabinet is the most senior policy-making body and is led by the Prime Minister, who is also, by convention, the Parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition.

The current Prime Minister is Helen Clark, leader of the Labour Party. Since 17 October 2005 Labour has been in formal coalition with Jim Anderton, the Progressive Party's only MP. In addition to the parties in formal coalition, New Zealand First and United Future provide confidence and supply in return for their leaders being ministers outside cabinet. A further arrangement has been made with the Green Party, which has given a commitment not to vote against the government on confidence and supply. Since early in 2007, Labour has also had the proxy vote of Taito Phillip Field, a former Labour MP. These arrangements assure the government of a majority of seven MPs on confidence.

The Leader of the Opposition, is National Party leader John Key. The ACT party and the Māori Party are both also in opposition. The Greens, New Zealand First and United Future all vote against the government on some legislation.

The highest court in New Zealand is the Supreme Court of New Zealand. This was established in 2004 following the passage of the Supreme Court Act 2003, which also abolished the option to appeal to the Privy Council in London. The current Chief Justice is Dame Sian Elias. New Zealand's judiciary also includes the High Court, which deals with serious criminal offences and civil matters, and the Court of Appeal, and subordinate courts.

== Foreign Policy and Military Relations ==

New Zealand maintains a strong profile on environmental protection, human rights and free trade, particularly in agriculture.

New Zealand is a member of the following geo-political organisations: APEC, East Asia Summit, Commonwealth of Nations, OECD and the United Nations. It has signed up to a number of free trade agreements, of which the most important is Closer Economic Relations with Australia.

For its first hundred years, New Zealand followed the United Kingdom's lead on foreign policy. In declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Michael Savage proclaimed "Where she goes, we go; where she stands, we stand". Since the war, however, the United States has exerted more influence than the UK.[citation needed]

New Zealand has traditionally worked closely with Australia, whose foreign policy followed a similar historical trend. In turn, many Pacific Islands such as Western Samoa have looked to New Zealand's lead. The American influence on New Zealand was weakened by the disappointment with the Vietnam War, the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior by France, and by disagreements over environmental and agricultural trade issues and New Zealand's nuclear-free policy.

New Zealand is a party to the ANZUS security treaty between Australia and New Zealand. While the treaty was once fully mutual between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, this is no longer the case. In February 1985, New Zealand refused nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships access to its ports. In 1986, the United States announced that it was suspending its treaty security obligations to New Zealand pending the restoration of port access. The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 prohibits the stationing of nuclear weapons on the territory of New Zealand and the entry into New Zealand waters of nuclear armed or propelled ships. This legislation remains a source of contention and the basis for the United States' continued suspension of treaty obligations to New Zealand.

In addition to the various wars between iwi, and between the British settlers and iwi, New Zealand has fought in the Second Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency (and committed troops, fighters and bombers to the subsequent confrontation with Indonesia), the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War, and sent a unit of army engineers to help rebuild Iraqi infrastructure for one year during the Iraq War.

The New Zealand military has three branches: the New Zealand Army, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. New Zealand considers its own national defence needs to be modest; it dismantled its air combat capability in 2001. New Zealand has contributed forces to recent regional and global peacekeeping missions, including those in Cyprus, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sinai, Angola, Cambodia, the Iran/Iraq border, Bougainville and East Timor.

== International Rankings (2007) ==

'''Political and economic rankings'''

Political freedom ratings[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_in_the_World_2006] - Free; political rights and civil liberties both rated 1 (the highest score available)

Press freedom[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporters_Without_Borders#Worldwide_press_freedom_index] - 19th freest, at 5.00

GDP per capita - 27th highest, at I$24,769
Human Development Index - 20th highest, at 0.933
Income Equality - 54th most equal, at 36.2 (Gini Index)
Literacy Rate - Equal first, at 99.9%
Unemployment rate - 94th lowest, at 8.30%
Corruption - 1st equal least corrupt, at 9.6 on index
Economic Freedom - 9th equal freest, at 1.84 on index

'''Health rankings'''
Fertility rate- 140th most fertile, at 1.79 per woman

Birth rate - 140th most births, at 13.90 per 1000 people

Infant mortality - 192nd most deaths, at 5.85 per 1000 live births

Death rate - 115th highest death rate, at 7.52 per 1000 people
Life Expectancy - 22nd highest, at 78.81 years

Suicide Rate - 35th highest suicide rate, at 19.8 for males and 4.2 for females per 100,000 people

HIV/AIDS rate - 149th most cases, at 0.10%

'''Other rankings'''
CO2 emissions - 42nd highest emissions, at 8.7 tonnes per capita
Electricity Consumption - 48th highest consumption of electricity, at 37,030,000,000 kWh
Broadband Internet access - 22nd highest uptake in OECD, at 11.7%
Beer consumption - 16th highest, at 77.0 litres per capita
Environmental Performance Index - Comprising; Environmental health, air quality, water resources, biodiversity and habitat, productive natural resources, sustainable energy - 1st out of 80 countries, at 88.0/100[14]

== External Links ==

Ministry for Culture and Heritage[http://www.mch.govt.nz/]

Tourism New Zealand[http://www.newzealand.com/]

New Zealand travel guide from Wikitravel[http://wikitravel.org/en/New_Zealand]