Wellington is the world’s windiest capital city. In 1962, gusts near Wellington’s city center reached 154 miles per hour (248 kilometers per hour) as reported by The Guardian.
The Old Government Buildings in Wellington comprise the largest wooden buildings in the Southern Hemisphere.
Nicknames for Wellington include “Windy Wellington” and “Wellywood”.
Research website numbeo ranks Wellington as 4th-best compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Wellington scored well on index factors such as low pollution (second place), climate (best 9%), traffic commute time (fastest 15%), purchasing power (strongest 21%), safety (top 22%) and health care (upper 22%).
Wellington was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the site for the longest hand-delivery of a pizza traveling over 12,346.6 miles (19,870 kilometers) from Madrid in Spain to New Zealand’s capital.
Another amusing Guinness World Record involves Wellington as the site where the longest free-floating soap bubble ever was created. The record bubble stretched over 105 feet (32 meters).
From an international trade perspective, New Zealand exported US$38.2 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include sweetened milk and cream (14.8% of New Zealand’s global total), sheep or goat meat (6.7%), butter (6%), rough wood (also 6%), frozen beef (5.4%), fresh berries (4%), cheese (3.5%), wine (3.2%), miscellaneous food preparations (1.8%), aluminum (1.7%), and unsweetened milk and cream (1.6%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Wellington, New Zealand: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Old St. Paul’s Church, Parliament Buildings, National War Museum, Otari-Wilton’s Bush Native Botanic Garden, City to Sea Bridge and Katherine Mansfield Birthplace
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Hong Kong.
- Russell Crowe, actor, director & producer (born Apr. 7, 1964)
- Antonia Prebble, actress & TV presenter (born Jun. 6, 1984)
- Leo Bertos, footballer/soccer player (born Dec. 20, 1981)
- Jane Campion, screenwriter, director & producer (born Apr. 30, 1954)
- Russell Coutts, competitive sailor (born Mar. 1, 1962)
- Fran Walsh, screenwriter, producer & lyricist (born Jan. 10, 1959)
- Brooke Fraser, singer-songwriter (born Dec. 15, 1983)
- Eddie Rayner, singer-songwriter & producer (born Nov. 19, 1952)
- Karl Urban, actor (born Jun. 7, 1972)
- Peter Jackson, screenwriter, director & producer (born Oct. 31, 1961)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a resident of Wellington: Wellingtonian
Population: 414,818 (Wellington)
Density: 2,426 people per square mile (939 per square kilometer)
Population: 4,826,708 (New Zealand) at August 10, 2020
Density: 47 people per square mile (18 per square kilometer)
Median age for all New Zealand: 38 years old
Financial
GDP: US$206.2 billion in 2019 (New Zealand)
GDP per person: $40,943
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Wellington were unavailable.
Official currency used in Wellington: New Zealand dollar
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Australia-Oceania: New Zealand.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Longest free floating soap bundles.
Guinness World Records, Longest pizza delivery.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Kurz Industrial Solutions, 9 windiest cities in the world.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Wellington.
Wikipedia, New Zealand.
WorldOMeter, New Zealand Population.
World Population Review, Wellington Population.
British sovereignty over New Zealand was established under the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840. New Zealanders celebrate Waitangi Day each February 6 as a national holiday.
Wellington’s built-up urban land area measures 171 square miles (442 square kilometers) with an estimated population of 414,818 as of August 10, 2020.
At the country level, New Zealand has 4.8 million residents living within 101,665 square miles (263,310 square kilometers).
Population density is more concentrated within capital city Wellington, averaging 2,426 Wellingtonians per square mile (939 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to New Zealand’s overall land borders, population density drops to an average 47 people per square mile (18 per square kilometer).
