World Region Information --- Cook Islands Information
We are researching local information on the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands are an autonomous South Pacific island nation in free association with New Zealand. We will feature information that seems good to know when advancing to the Cook Islands.
It consists of 24 coral atolls and volcanic islands and is located in the eastern part of Oceania, almost in the center of Polynesia.
About 237km2
about 17,000 people
78% Cook Islands Maori
English, Cook Islands Maori
Most of the population is Christian
The traditions of the people who have settled the islands for centuries remain.
- Aitutaki Lagoon
- One Foot Island
- Muri Beach
- Titikaveka Beach
- Te Rua Manga
- Maire Nui Gardens
- Cook Islands National Museum
- The Cook Islands Library and Museum Society
- Mount Maungapu
Primary and secondary education is free, and children between the ages of 5 and 15 receive compulsory education.
- Takamoa Theological College
- The University of the South Pacific
1888 Britain declares Cook Islands a protectorate
1901 annexed to New Zealand
1946 Legislative Council established
1965 Becomes a dominion in free association with New Zealand
1981 Constitutional amendment
1985 Treaty of Rarotonga (Agreement on the Creation of a Nuclear Free Zone in the South Pacific) is signed.
1997 Damage caused by Cyclone Martin
2004 Prime Minister Robert Woonton visits China. China will provide $16 million in development aid
2005 Extensive damage caused by four cyclones
2015 WHO (World Health Organization) reports that Cook Islands is the most obese country in the world (more than half of the population is obese)
2017 Opening of the World's Largest Marine Protected Area
It is a typical parliamentary democracy. The head of state is the King of New Zealand (the same person as the King of the United Kingdom). The parliament is unicameral.
- Parliament of the Cook Islands
- Cook Islands High Court
$15,000
It is supported by tourism, aid from New Zealand, or aid from China.
Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Tonga, Nauru, Niue, Vanuatu, Palau, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia
