esia, 4,500 km south of Hawaii in the South Pacific
Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and 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 the edge of 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:
subject to typhoons (November to March)
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change; signed, but not ratified -
Law of the Sea

@Cook Islands, People

Population:
19,124 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.15% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
23.22 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
5.2 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-6.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.14 years
male:
69.2 years
female:
73.1 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.3 children born/woman (1994 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:
total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
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
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