"The Loneliest Country in the World - New Zealand"

New Zealand is truly isolated, hanging overseas and with no neighbors around. It is surrounded by vast oceans, making its location exceptionally remote. Looking at the map, New Zealand can be considered the loneliest and most isolated country in the world. The nearest country to New Zealand is Australia, yet even this closest neighbor is nearly 1800 kilometers away.

Of course, 1800 kilometers is considered close, as the eastern side of New Zealand is even more remote. With tens of thousands of kilometers of ocean, it's rare to find even a larger island, let alone a whole country. As one looks around, all that can be seen is the endless ocean. To the south, Antarctica is also very distant, and the distance from Beijing, China, is approximately 10,700 kilometers. Without the advancements in technology and convenient transportation we have today, New Zealand would indeed be a forsaken wild island, likely populated only by roaming cattle and sheep, with hardly anyone willing to immigrate there.

However, after over a hundred years of development, New Zealand has progressed quite well. Although New Zealand did not originally have many indigenous peoples, through the significant influx of immigrants from various countries, the population has now reached around 5.2 million. It has transformed from its former barren state into a desirable paradise country.

Although New Zealand has over 5 million people, its population density remains relatively low considering its land area. New Zealand covers an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometers, larger than the UK, yet its population is less than one-tenth of the UK's. Comparatively, China's largest city, with a total area of 6,300 square kilometers, is home to approximately 25 million people, nearly five times the population of New Zealand. This contrast highlights just how sparsely populated New Zealand is.

Fortunately, although New Zealand's population is sparse, it boasts abundant livestock. At its peak, the country had over 100 million sheep, outnumbering humans by 22.5 times. And that's not even including the number of cattle, making the ratio even more staggering. If we consider poultry and other livestock, the number of domesticated animals in New Zealand is at least 50 times that of its human population.

Despite the vast disparity between humans and livestock, New Zealand has managed to avoid environmental degradation and conflicts between humans and animals. This indicates that New Zealand's environmental management is commendable.

It's worth noting that Australia, New Zealand's neighbor, faced a situation 50 years ago where rabbits overran human territory, outnumbering humans by a large margin. Australians had to take measures to exterminate the rabbits to prevent a disaster.

Although New Zealand has over a hundred million sheep, it has not experienced environmental degradation due to them. In the outskirts of New Zealand, one can often see flocks of sheep and cattle grazing, yet there are still flourishing grasslands and breathtaking natural scenery everywhere. There has been no evidence of the grasslands being overgrazed by livestock.

Being an isolated island, New Zealand was basically cut off from the rest of the world in its early days. Therefore, the variety of animal species in New Zealand is very limited, and even now, many animal species commonly found elsewhere cannot be found in New Zealand. This includes snakes, which are absent from both rural and urban areas in New Zealand. Additionally, New Zealand law prohibits citizens from keeping snakes and from bringing them into the country from overseas.

New Zealand is now a preferred destination for immigrants from many countries. It is said that many people choose to immigrate to New Zealand because of its abundant cattle and sheep and the absence of snakes.

Of course, the abundance of cattle and sheep is just one of the reasons why New Zealand attracts immigrants. The main reasons are its developed economy and stunning natural ecology. This remote island country, once considered uninhabitable, has risen to become a developed country due to its advanced agriculture. In 2021, New Zealand's per capita GDP reached 320,000 RMB, ranking among the top ten happiest countries globally—a true miracle for New Zealand!