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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).

Tourism is the country's number one industry, the leading element of the economy, far ahead of offshore banking, pearls, marine and fruit exports. A popular art form on the islands is Tivaivai, often likened to quilting.

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.

Contents 1 Politics 2 Geography 3 History 4 Culture 5 Sport 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

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, and of a pluriform multi-party system. The Islands are self-governing in free association with New Zealand and are fully responsible for internal affairs. New Zealand retains some responsibility for external affairs, in consultation with the Cook Islands. In recent years the Cook Islands has taken on more of its own external affairs and 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 part of the United Nations.

The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

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.^[1]

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.

The fifteen islands are grouped as follows:

• High Cook Islands
  • Aitutaki
  • Atiu (Enua-Manu or Island of Birds)
  • Mangaia
  • Mauke
  • Rarotonga (with capital, Avarua)

• Low islands of the Southern group
  • Manuae
  • Mitiaro
  • Takutea

• Northern Cook Islands
  • Manihiki
  • Nassau
  • Palmerston Island
  • Penrhyn Island also known as Tongareva
  • Pukapuka
  • Rakahanga
  • Suwarrow also called Suvorov

Main article: History of the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands were first settled in the sixth century 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. 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 Rarotonga. [1] 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. Then 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. Sir Albert Henry, the Islands' first Prime Minister, led the county until he was accused of vote-rigging in 1978.

Today, the Cook Islands are essentially independent ("self-governing in free association with New Zealand") but are still officially placed under New Zealand 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.

After achieving autonomy in 1965, the Cook Islands elected Albert Henry of the Cook Islands Party as their first Prime Minister. He was succeeded in 1978 by Tom Davis of the Democratic Party.

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 fall of 2006 as Survivor: Cook Islands.

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

See also: Rugby league in the Cook Islands

Rugby league is a popular sport in the Cook Islands.

Communications in the Cook Islands Cook Islands Boy Scout Association Cook Islands Diplomatic Missions Demographics of the Cook Islands Economy of the Cook Islands

Polynesian culture History of the Cook Islands Music of the Cook Islands Politics of the Cook Islands Transport in the Cook Islands

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• Cook Islands, the best kept secret in the Pacific Ocean - The Most Comprehensive Website
• Cook Islands - Detailed and non-commercial website
• Cook Islands Government
• Cook Islands Government (summary)
• Cook Islands Tourism Corporation
• Open Directory Project - Cook Islands directory category
• Cook Islands National Environment Service
• Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Geographic locale

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