large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every
island) centered in the outer half of the flag

@Cook Islands: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

Merchan