New Zealand Has 4.5 Million People and 30 Million Sheep
By Val
@valmnz (17099)
New Zealand
September 22, 2015 2:25pm CST
New Zealand is a small country with open spaces. Driving from one place to another you pass through wonderful scenery and lush farmland. We are not densely populated as in some countries, and in total have only about 4.5 million people.
Many people laugh, therefore, when they learn that our sheep population far exceeds that. We have approximately 30 million sheep. The meat and wool industries are two of our major exports. In fact so much is exported of both the local price is excessively high. The average New Zealander can rarely afford to eat a leg of lamb, the meal once almost considered our national dish.
We can afford the cheaper cuts though. In fact. We'll be having braised lamb shoulder chops for dinner tonight.
So, there you have it, a quirky little fact about New Zealand, the country where sheep outnumber humans by more than 1:6. What do you think of that?
12 people like this
10 responses
@marlina (154166)
• Canada
23 Sep 15
Speaking about small country: did you know that you can put the province of Quebec 10 times in the country of France? That tells you how BIG, IMMENSE, HUGE, GIGANTIC, the country of Canada is as Quebec is only 1 of the 10 provinces that makes our BEAUTIFUL country.
@allknowing (130064)
• India
23 Sep 15
When I was in school we had to learn Geography and that is where I learnt about miles and miles of prairies where sheep graze in the country of New Zealand. And when I saw that scene when I visited New Zealand I was in ecstasy.
3 people like this
@allknowing (130064)
• India
23 Sep 15
@valmnz
I saw something like this
http://www.realestateagentsauckland.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/sheep-farm.jpg
3 people like this
@valmnz (17099)
• New Zealand
23 Sep 15
@allknowing yes, they're definitely NZ sheep 
1 person likes this
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
23 Sep 15
You are lucky. There are almost 1250 million of us Indians! If we stand one on top of the other;the last one is sure to reach the moon. Relax!! I'm just in a lighter mood today.
2 people like this
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
23 Sep 15
@Marcyaz I got this idea, from a joke I once read about the Chinese. Neil Armstrong &Co got a shock of their lives when on the moon, they ran into a bunch of Chinese, perplexed, they asked them how did they manage to come all the way up to the moon. "It was easy", the Chinese said,"we stood one on top of the other, and the last three of us are here!" This, given the fact that India has crossed the one billion mark, is quite true for it.
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
23 Sep 15
me thinks me needs to load up my ponies 'n make a continental move 
. aint it odd how that works? one grows the food, there's mass abundance 'f such, yet one cannot afford to purchase such? i live in beef country 'n can't afford a decent steak. e'en the ground round is outta reality 't $4.00 'r better per pound.
. aint it odd how that works? one grows the food, there's mass abundance 'f such, yet one cannot afford to purchase such? i live in beef country 'n can't afford a decent steak. e'en the ground round is outta reality 't $4.00 'r better per pound.3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
23 Sep 15
@Marcyaz been tryin' to do such fer o'er 30 years. either there 'r australia. 'schtuff' jest kept gettin' in the way. i aint scattered yet, so perhaps??
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
22 Sep 15
Gosh that is 7 and a half sheep each Val. I love roast lamb. It is ridiculous that the price is so expensive there for you. I have seen many photos of NZ and would love to visit both islands one day. ( I know there are three islands but the two main islands are so different and beautiful in their own right).
2 people like this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
7 Oct 15
And we in Singapore has about 5.5 million people, and probably just a few sheep in the zoo.
Our meat, vegetables and fruits come from all over the world.
I think the reason that many of my fellow Singaporeans love New Zealand is the wide space, the deep blue sea and Mount Cook.
It is nice to see sheep everywhere, instead of people everywhere.
1 person likes this
