Aotearoa

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aotearoa

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is Aotearoa?Island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
2. How many people live in Aotearoa?Approximately 5.1 million
3. How big is Aotearoa?268,021 square kilometers
4. What is the capital of Aotearoa?Wellington
5. What language do people speak in Aotearoa?English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language are official languages
6. What does the name "Aotearoa" mean?It means "land of the long white cloud," a name inspired by the clouds that helped Polynesian voyagers.

Aotearoa: The Māori name for New Zealand, widely interpreted as 'land of the long white cloud'.
Māori: The indigenous Polynesian people of Aotearoa, whose culture and language are integral to the nation's identity.
Te Reo Māori: The Māori language, an official language of Aotearoa, undergoing revitalization efforts.
Parliamentary Democracy: A system of government where the executive branch derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature.