Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces

COOK ISLANDS

 (free association with New Zealand) 

@Cook Islands:Geography

 Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
 one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

 Map references: Oceania

 Area:
 total area: 240 sq km
 land area: 240 sq km
 comparative area: slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Washington,
 DC

 Land boundaries: 0 km

 Coastline: 120 km

 Maritime claims:
 continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
 exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
 territorial sea: 12 nm

 International disputes: none

 Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds

 Terrain: low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

 Natural resources: negligible

 Land use:
 arable land: 4%
 permanent crops: 22%
 meadows and pastures: 0%
 forest and woodland: 0%
 other: 74%

 Irrigated land: NA sq km

 Environment:
 current issues: NA
 natural hazards: typhoons (November to March)
 international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change;
 signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

@Cook Islands:People

 Population: 19,343 (July 1995 est.)

 Age structure:
 0-14 years: NA
 15-64 years: NA
 65 years and over: NA

 Population growth rate: 1.13% (1995 est.)

 Birth rate: 23.05 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Net migration rate: -6.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Infant mortality rate: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

 Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: 71.14 years
 male: 69.2 years
 female: 73.1 years (1995 est.)

 Total fertility rate: 3.27 children born/woman (1995 est.)

 Nationality:
 noun: Cook Islander(s)
 adjective: Cook Islander

 Ethnic divisions: Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%, Polynesian and
 European 7.7%, Polynesian and other 7.7%, European 2.4%, other 0.9%

 Religions: Christian (majority of populace members of Cook Islands
 Christian Church)

 Languages: English (official), Maori

 Literacy: NA%

 Labor force: 5,810
 by occupation: agriculture 29%, government 27%, services 25%, industry
 15%, other 4% (1981)

@Cook Islands:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: none
 conventional short form: Cook Islands

 Digraph: CW

 Type: self-governing parliamentary government in free association with
 New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs;
 New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs, in
 consultation with the Cook Islands

 Capital: Avarua

 Administrative divisions: none

 Independence: none (became self-governing in free association with New
 Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full
 independence by unilateral action)

 National holiday: Constitution Day, 4 August

 Constitution: 4 August 1965

 Legal system: NA

 Suffrage: universal adult at age NA

 Executive branch:
 chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
 Representative of the Queen Apenera SHORT (since NA); Representative
 of New Zealand Adrian SINCOCK (since NA)
 head of government: Prime Minister Geoffrey HENRY (since 1 February
 1989); Deputy Prime Minister Inatio AKARURU (since 1 February 1989)
 cabinet: Cabinet; collectively responsible to the Parliament

 Legislative branch: unicameral
 Parliament: elections last held 24 March 1994 (next to be held NA);
 results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (25 total) Cook Islands
 Party 20, Democratic Party 3, Alliance Party 2
 note: the House of Arikis (chiefs) advises on traditional matters, but
 has no legislative powers

 Judicial branch: High Court

 Political parties and leaders: Cook Islands Party, Geoffrey HENRY;
 Democratic Party, Sir Thomas DAVIS; Cook Islands Labor Party, Rena
 JONASSEN; Cook Islands People's Party, Sadaraka SADARAKA; Alliance
 Party, Norman GEORGE

 Member of: AsDB, ESCAP (associate), ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, INTELSAT
 (nonsignatory user), IOC, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO

 Diplomatic representation in US: none (self-governing in free
 association with New Zealand)

 US diplomatic representation: none (self-governing in free association
 with New Zealand)

 Flag: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant
 and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every
 island) centered in the outer half of the flag

Economy

 Overview: Agriculture provides the economic base. The major export
 earners are fruit, copra, and clothing. Manufacturing activities are
 limited to a fruit-processing plant and several clothing factories.
 Economic development is hindered by the isolation of the islands from
 foreign markets and a lack of natural resources and good
 transportation links. A large trade deficit is annually made up for by
 remittances from emigrants and from foreign aid, largely from New
 Zealand. Current economic development plans call for exploiting the
 tourism potential and expanding the fishing industry.

 National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $57 million (1993
 est.)

 National product real growth rate: NA%

 National product per capita: $3,000 (1993 est.)

 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.2% (1990)

 Unemployment rate: NA%

 Budget:
 revenues: $38 million
 expenditures: $34.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
 (1993 est.)

 Exports: $3.4 million (f.o.b., 1990)
 commodities: copra, fresh and canned fruit, clothing
 partners: NZ 80%, Japan

 Imports: $50 million (c.i.f., 1990)
 commodities: foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber
 partners: NZ 49%, Japan, Australia, US

 External debt: $124 million (1994)

 Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 5% of GDP

 Electricity:
 capacity: 14,000 kW
 production: 21 million kWh
 consumption per capita: 741 kWh (1993)

 Industries: fruit processing, tourism

 Agriculture: accounts for 12% of GDP, export crops - copra, citrus
 fruits, pineapples, tomatoes, bananas; subsistence crops - yams, taro

 Economic aid:
 recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
 commitments (1970-89), $128 million; in 1994, Cook Islands received
 $4.3 million in budget support and $2.7 million in project aid from
 New Zealand, the country's largest source of aid

 Currency: 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents

 Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.5601 (January
 1995), 1.6844 (1994), 1.8495 (1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7265 (1991),
 1.6750 (1990)

 Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

@Cook Islands:Transportation

 Railroads: 0 km

 Highways:
 total: 187 km
 paved: 35 km
 unpaved: gravel 35 km; improved earth 84 km; unimproved earth 33 km
 (1980)

 Ports: Avarua, Avatiu

 Merchant marine:
 total: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,464 GRT/2,181 DWT

 Airports:
 total: 7
 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 3
 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3

@Cook Islands:Communications

 Telephone system: 2,052 telephones
 local: NA
 intercity: NA
 international: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
 radios: 11,000

 Television:
 broadcast stations: 1
 televisions: 17,000 (1989)

@Cook Islands:Defense Forces

 Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand


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