onsists of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable
international: 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 4
televisions: NA

@Congo:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, National Police

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 568,663; males fit for military
service 289,335; males reach military age (20) annually 24,749 (1995
est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $110 million, 3.8% of
GDP (1993)

________________________________________________________________________

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%, Po