located midway between the Equator and the South Pole,
and approximately 1600 kilometers east of Australia. Its nearest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga, all about the same distance away as Australia.With a land area of 268,680 square kilometers, New Zealand is similar in size to Japan, Britain or Italy, and extends over a similar range of latitudes to California. There are two main islands, the North and South Islands, separated by Cook Strait, some 32 kilometers across its narrowest point. The country is 1600 kilometers from northern tip to southern extremity, with no part more than 120 kilometers from the surrounding ocean.