Greenland and New Zealand

You might be wondering why we chose to write about Greenland and New Zealand. Well, first, we brainstormed. We searched up pictures of interesting places. We came across an article that showed us fairytale-like places. The best ones were Greenland and New Zealand, and from that, this amazing article was born.  ​

​Greenland

• Greenland is the largest island in the world
• Most people in Greenland speak Greenlandic
• The capital of Greenland is Nuuk, which is located slightly in the south-west part of Greenland
• The population in Greenland is 56,632  (as of 9:10 a.m. Western Pacific time, Wednesday, February 13, 2019)
• Its area is 836,300 square miles
• Greenland is in the continent of North America
• This is Greenland’s flag:

---

​

• Some words in Greenlandic are Erfalasorput (which means “our flag”) and Aappilattoq (which means “the red”)
• Greenland’s yearly population change is 0.19%
• The urban population is is 88% of the whole Greenland population (which means 88% of the Greenland population live near, or in, cities/villages)
• The national animal of Greenland is the polar bear
• The national bird of Greenland is the White-Tailed Eagle, which is also called the Nattoralik. It is Greenland’s largest breeding bird

---

• The national dish of Greenland is Suaasat, which is a traditional Greenlandic soup. The base can be made with fish, seal, whale, or reindeer meat, and it can be served with rice, onions, and potatoes

• The national anthem of Greenland is called Nunarput Utoqqarsuanngoravit (we could not find out how to pronounce this). It was adopted in 1916, and, in english, “You Our Ancient Land”.
• The national flower of Greenland is the Fireweed, but scientifically called Chamaenerion. It is in the family Onagraceae
• Greenland is not actually green. It was only named Greenland so more people would come​

---

New Zealand
       
​           The capital of New Zealand is Wellington

• New Zealand is in the region Oceania, which is not a continent, but is the name for the wider expanse around Australia, including New Zealand, Micronesia, and many more
• The population of New Zealand is 4,776,244 as of Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 9:12 am
• This is New Zealand’s flag:

---

This is the history of the name “New Zealand”: Abel Tasman and his crew sailed to the islands in 1642. He called it Staten Landt, after the States General of the Netherlands. In 1645, Dutch cartographers changed the name to “Nova Zeelandia” (Latin) from “Nieuw Zeeland”, after the Dutch province of Zeeland. Then, the name was englished (a synonym for “anglicised”) to “New Zealand” by British captain James Cook more than 100 years after Abel Tasman originally traveled there.

• The national bird of New Zealand is the Kiwi bird, shown at right.
• New Zealand does not really have a national sport, but some of the most popular sports in New Zealand are rugby, basketball, cricket, netball, (which is like basketball) and soccer (football)

• New Zealand doesn’t have a national flower, but they have the Silver Fern (Cyathea dealbata) which is accepted is a national symbol. Another flower/plant is the Kowhai, which consists of eight species, the most common being Sophora microphylla and S. tetraptera. It is regarded as the national flower.
• The national fruit of New Zealand is the kiwi fruit
• The national anthem of New Zealand is called, “God Defend New Zealand” or, “Māori”: “Aotearoa”​
• The official languages of New Zealand are English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language​
  

---