Cook Islands — map and facts

About Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand, located in the southern Pacific Ocean between American Samoa to the west and French Polynesia to the east. The capital is Avarua, situated on the largest and most populous island, Rarotonga. The population is approximately 17,000 on the islands, though a significantly larger Cook Islands diaspora lives in New Zealand and Australia—Cook Islanders hold New Zealand citizenship. The Cook Islands has full internal self-governance with its own Parliament and Prime Minister, while New Zealand provides defence and foreign affairs assistance, though the Cook Islands increasingly conducts its own international relations. The economy relies on tourism, offshore financial services, fishing, and remittances from overseas. The islands are known for their cultural vitality, traditional dance (particularly 'ura), weaving, and coral architecture. The Cook Islands was admitted as a full member of the United Nations in 2024.

Geography and Landscape

The Cook Islands consists of 15 main islands divided into two groups: the Northern Group, comprising low-lying coral atolls, and the Southern Group, which includes volcanic high islands. Rarotonga in the south is the largest and most dramatic, reaching 652 metres at Te Manga, with lush, forested interior peaks descending sharply to a fringing reef and sandy beaches. Aitutaki is famed for its almost perfectly triangular atoll lagoon, considered one of the world's most beautiful. The northern atolls—including Penrhyn (Tongareva), Manihiki, and Pukapuka—are low coral islets surrounding central lagoons. The total land area of all islands combined is only about 237 square kilometres, but the exclusive economic zone covers some 1.96 million square kilometres of ocean. The climate is tropical, with a wet season from November to April and the risk of cyclones.

History

The Cook Islands were settled by Polynesian voyagers approximately 1,000 years ago, with cultural and linguistic ties to the Society Islands and other central Polynesian groups. The Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña sighted some of the northern islands in 1595, and British captain James Cook explored the southern islands during his voyages between 1773 and 1779—lending his name to the archipelago, though he never actually visited Rarotonga. Protestant missionaries from the London Missionary Society arrived in 1821 and had a profound and lasting effect on local culture and governance. Britain declared a protectorate over the islands in 1888, and in 1901 the Cook Islands were annexed to New Zealand. Self-governance was achieved in 1965 when the Cook Islands elected its first internal government, entering into free association with New Zealand. The islands have since developed increasing international autonomy and their own diplomatic relationships.