Cook Islands




                                  Header


Affiliation:
     (free association with New Zealand)


                                 Geography


Location:
     Oceania, Polynesia, 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


                                  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)




                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
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
Administrative divisions:
     none
Independence:
     none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4
     August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence
     by unilateral action)
National holiday:
     Constitution Day, 4 August
Constitution:
     4 August 1965
Legal system:
     NA
Suffrage:
     universal adult at age NA
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Representative of the
     Queen Apenera SHORT (since NA); Representative of New Zealand Adrian
     SINCOCK (since NA)
head of government:
     Prime Minister Geoffrey HENRY (since 1 February 1989); Deputy Prime
     Minister Inatio AKARURU (since 1 February 1989)
cabinet:
     Cabinet; collectively responsible to the Parliament
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
Parliament:
     elections last held 24 March 1994 (next to be held NA); results -
     percent of vote by party NA; seats - (25 total) Cook Islands Party 20,
     Democratic Party 3, Alliance Party 2
note:
     the House of Arikis (chiefs) advises on traditional matters, but has
     no legislative powers
Judicial branch:
     High Court
Political parties and leaders:
     Cook Islands Party, Geoffrey HENRY; Democratic Party, Sir Thomas
     DAVIS; Cook Islands Labor Party, Rena JONASSEN; Cook Islands People's
     Party, Sadaraka SADARAKA; Alliance, Norman GEORGE




Member of:
     AsDB, ESCAP (associate), ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, INTELSAT (nonsignatory
     user), IOC, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
     none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
US diplomatic representation:
     none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Flag:
     blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a
     large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island)
     centered in the outer half of the flag


                                  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 equivalent  - $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:
     $NA
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%; accounts for 5% of GDP




Electricity:
capacity:
     14,000 kW
production:
     21 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     1,170 kWh (1990)
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),  $128 million
Currency:
     1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
     New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.7771 (January 1994), 1.8495
     (1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6708 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     1 April - 31 March


                              Communications


Highways:
total:
     187 km
paved:
     35 km
unpaved:
     gravel 35 km; improved earth 84 km; unimproved earth 33 km (1980)
Ports:
     Avatiu
Merchant marine:
     1 cargo ship (1,000 or over) totaling 1,464 GRT/2,181 DWT
Airports:
total:
     7
usable:
     7
with permanent-surface runways:
     1
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     5
Telecommunications:
     broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 11,000 radio receivers; 17,000
     TV receivers (1989); 2,052 telephones; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth
     station




                              Defense Forces


Note:
     defense is the responsibility of New Zealand