Cook Islands

For individual islands named "Cook Island", see Cook Island.

Cook Islands Kūki 'Āirani
Flag Coat of arms of Cook Islands Coat of arms
Anthem: Te Atua Mou E God is Truth
Capital and largest city	Avarua
Official languages	English Cook Islands Māori
Demonym(s)	Cook Islander
Government	Constitutional monarchy
• Head of State	Queen Elizabeth II
• Queen's Representative	Sir Frederick Goodwin
• Prime Minister	Jim Marurai
Associated state
• Self-government in free association with New Zealand	4 August 1965
Area
• Total	236 km2 (91 sq mi) (209th)
Population
• Mar 2006 estimate	18,700 (218th (2005))
• 2001 census	18,027
• Density	76/km2 (196.8/sq mi) (117th)
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$183.2 million (not ranked)
• Per capita	$9,100 (not ranked)
Currency	New Zealand dollar (Cook Islands dollar also used) (NZD)
Time zone	UTC-10
Calling code	682
ISO 3166 code	CK
Internet TLD	.ck

The Cook Islands (Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The fifteen small islands in this South Pacific Ocean country have a total land area of 240 square kilometres (92.7 sq mi), but the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 1.8 million square kilometres (0.7 million sq mi) of ocean.

The main population centres are on the island of Rarotonga (c.10,000), where there is an international airport. There is also a much larger population of Cook Islanders in New Zealand, particularly the North Island; in the 2006 census, 58,008 self-identified as being of ethnic Cook Island Māori descent.

With over 90,000 visitors travelling to the islands in 2006, tourism is the country's number one industry, and the leading element of the economy, far ahead of offshore banking, pearls, marine and fruit exports.

Defence is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request. In recent times, the Cook Islands has adopted an increasingly independent foreign policy.

Politics

Main article: Politics of the Cook Islands

The politics of the Cook Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic associated state, whereby the Queen of New Zealand, represented in the Cook Islands by the Queen's Representative, is Head of State and the Chief Minister is the head of government. There is a pluriform multi-party system and the islands are self-governing in free association with New Zealand and fully responsible for both internal and external affairs. New Zealand no longer has any responsibility for external affairs. As of 2005 has diplomatic relations in its own name with eighteen other countries. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of the Cook Islands.

The Cook Islands are not United Nations full members but participate in WHO and UNESCO.

The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Historical dates

1596 - Spaniard Alvaro de Mendana is the first European to sight the islands.

1773 - Captain James Cook explores the islands and names them the Hervey Islands. Fifty years later they are renamed in his honour.

1821 - English and Tahitian missionaries arrive, become the first non-native settlers.

1888 - Cook Islands are proclaimed a British protectorate and a single federal parliament is established.

1901 - The Cook Islands are annexed to New Zealand.

1924 - The All Blacks Invincibles stop in Rarotonga on their way to the United Kingdom and play a friendly match against a scratch Rarotongan team.

1946 - Legislative Council is established. For the first time since 1912, the territory has direct representation.

1965 - The Cook Islands become a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. Albert Henry, leader of the Cook Islands Party, is elected as the territory's first prime minister.

1974 - Albert Henry is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

1979 - Sir Albert Henry is found guilty of electoral fraud and stripped of his premiership and his knighthood. Tom Davis becomes Premier.

1981 - Constitution is amended. Parliament grows from 22 to 24 seats and the parliamentary term is extended from four to five years. Tom Davis is knighted.

1985 - Rarotonga Treaty is open for signing in the Cook Islands creating a nuclear free zone in the South Pacific.

1986 - In January 1986, following the rift between New Zealand and the USA in respect of the ANZUS security arrangements Prime Minister Tom Davis declared the Cook Islands a neutral country, because he considered that New Zealand (which has control over the islands' defence and foreign policy) was no longer in a position to defend the islands. The proclamation of neutrality meant that the Cook Islands would not enter into a military relationship with any foreign power, and, in particular, would prohibit visits by US warships. Visits by US naval vessels were allowed to resume by Henry's Government.

1991 The Cook Islands signed a treaty of friendship and co-operation with France, covering economic development, trade and surveillance of the islands' EEZ. The establishment of closer relations with France was widely regarded as an expression of the Cook Islands' Government's dissatisfaction with existing arrangements with New Zealand which was no longer in a position to defend the Cook Islands.

1995 The French Government resumed its Programme of nuclear-weapons testing at Mururoa Atoll in September 1995 upsetting the Cook Islands. Henry was fiercely critical of the decision and dispatched a vaka (traditional voyaging canoe) with a crew of Cook Islands' traditional warriors to protest near the test site. The tests were concluded in January 1996 and a moratorium was placed on future testing by the French government.

1997 - Full diplomatic relations established with China.

1997 - In November, Cyclone Martin kills at least six people; 80% of buildings are damaged and the black pearl industry suffered severe losses.

2000 - Full diplomatic relations concluded with France.

2002 - Prime Minister Terepai Maoate is ousted from government following second vote of no-confidence in his leadership.

2004 - Prime Minister Robert Woonton visits China; Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao grants $16m in development aid.

2006 - Parliamentary elections held. The Democratic Party keeps majority of seats in parliament, but parliament is unable to meet due to petitions filed by the Cook Islands Party over alleged voting irregularities.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands are in the South Pacific Ocean, north-east of New Zealand, between French Polynesia and Fiji. There are fifteen major islands, spread over 2.2 million square kilometres of ocean, divided into two distinct groups: the Southern Cook Islands, and the Northern Cook Islands of coral atolls.

The islands were formed by volcanic activity; the northern group is older and consists of six atolls (sunken volcanoes topped by coral growth). The climate is moderate to tropical.

File:Cook Islands map.gif

The fifteen islands are grouped as follows:

• Southern Group
  • Aitutaki
  • Atiu (Enua-Manu or Island of Birds)
  • Mangaia
  • Mauke (Akatokamanava)
  • Rarotonga (with capital, Avarua)
  • Palmerston Island
  • Manuae
  • Mitiaro
  • Takutea

• Northern Group
  • Manihiki
  • Nassau
  • Penrhyn Island also known as Tongareva
  • Pukapuka
  • Rakahanga
  • Suwarrow also called Suvorov

History

Beach on Rarotonga.

Main article: History of the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands were first settled in the 6th Century A.D. by Polynesian people who migrated from nearby Tahiti, to the southeast.

Spanish ships visited the islands in the late sixteenth century; the first written record of contact with the Islands came with the sighting of Pukapuka by Spanish sailor Álvaro de Mendaña in 1595 who called it San Bernardo ("Saint Bernard"). Another Spaniard, Pedro Fernández de Quirós, made the first recorded European landing in the islands when he set foot on Rakahanga in 1606, calling it Gente Hermosa ("Beautiful People").

British navigator Captain James Cook arrived in 1773 and 1779 and named the islands the Hervey Islands; the name "Cook Islands", in honour of Cook, appeared on a Russian naval chart published in the 1880s.

In 1813, John Williams, a missionary on the Endeavour (not the same ship as that of Cook), made the first official sighting of the island of Rarotonga.

The first recorded landing by Europeans was in 1814 by the Cumberland; trouble broke out between the sailors and the Islanders and many were killed on both sides.

The islands saw no more Europeans until missionaries arrived from England in 1821. Christianity quickly took hold in the culture and many islanders continue to be Christian believers today.

The Cook Islands became a British protectorate at their own request in 1888, mainly to thwart French expansionism. They were transferred to New Zealand in 1901. They remained a New Zealand protectorate until 1965, at which point they became a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. In that year, Albert Henry of the Cook Islands Party was elected as the first Prime Minister. Sir Albert Henry led the country until he was accused of vote-rigging. He was succeeded in 1978 by Tom Davis of the Democratic Party.

Today, the Cook Islands are essentially independent ("self-governing in free association with New Zealand") but are still officially placed within New Zealand's sovereignty. New Zealand is tasked with overseeing the country's foreign relations and defence. The Cook Islands are one of three New Zealand dependencies, along with Tokelau and Niue.

On June 11, 1980, the United States signed a treaty with New Zealand specifying the maritime border between the Cook Islands and American Samoa and also relinquishing its claim to the islands of Penrhyn Island, Pukapuka (Danger), Manihiki, and Rakahanga.

In 2006, the British television station Channel 4 broadcast the show Shipwrecked, filmed in the Cook Islands. The thirteenth season of CBS's Survivor series was also filmed in the Cook Islands during the summer of 2006. It was broadcast in the autumn of 2006 as Survivor: Cook Islands.

In 2007, Les Stroud host/creator of the television show Survivorman taped an episode in the Cook Islands, surviving on his own for 7 days.

Culture

Float parade during the annual Maeva Nui celebrations.

See also: Music of the Cook Islands

Holidays

Date	Name
January 1	New Year's Day
January 2	Day after New Year's Day
The Friday before Easter Sunday	Good Friday
The day after Easter Sunday	Easter Monday
April 25	ANZAC Day
The first Monday in June	Queen's Birthday
during July	Rarotonga Gospel Day
August 4	Constitution Day
October 26	Gospel Day
December 25	Christmas
December 26	Boxing Day

Sport

See also: Rugby union in the Cook Islands

See also: Rugby league in the Cook Islands

See also: Cook Islands national football team

Rugby union is the most popular sport in the Cook Islands with football and rugby league also popular.

Miscellaneous

A popular art form on the islands is Tivaivai, often likened to quilting.

See also

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External links

• Cook Islands Government
• Cook Islands Government (summary)
• Cook Islands Tourism Corporation
• Open Directory Project - Cook Islands directory category
• Comprehensive Cook Islands site with news section
• Detailed and non-commercial website
• Cook Islands National Environment Service
• Cook Islands Biodiversity Database
• Photographs of CI banknotes including unique 3 dollar bill