]! ^! Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems. 
]" ^" Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand ^# 21 14 S, 159 46 W ^$ Oceania ^% `! 236.7 sq km `" 236.7 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC ^' 0 km ^( 120 km ^) `$ 12 nm `N 200 nm `O 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin ^* tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March ^+ low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& Te Manga 652 m ^- NEGL ^. `' 16.67% `( 8.33% `) 75% (2005) ^/ NA ^0 typhoons (November to March) ^1 NA _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km 
]# ^3 21,750 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 34.1% (male 2,718/female 2,388) `, 59.5% (male 4,531/female 4,395) `- 6.4% (male 489/female 469) (2001 census) ^5 `! 25.3 years `. 24.7 years `/ 25.9 years (2001 census) ^6 -1.2% between 1996-2001 (2001 census) ^7 21 births/1,000 population (2001 census) ^8 NA ^: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 census) ^; `! NA `. NA `/ NA ^< `2 NA `. NA `/ NA ^= 3.1 children born/woman (2001 census) ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `3 Cook Islander(s) `4 Cook Islander ^B Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census) ^C Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%, Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census) ^D English (official), Maori ^E `5 NA `2 95% `. NA% `/ NA% _g 2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017 
]$ ^F `6 none `7 Cook Islands `\ Harvey Islands ^G self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands ^H self-governing parliamentary democracy ^I `8 Avarua `9 21 12 S, 159 46 W `: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J none ^K 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) ^L Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965) ^M 4 August 1965 ^N based on New Zealand law and English common law ^O NA years of age; universal (adult) ^P `; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since 6 September 2005), representative of New Zealand `< Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005) `= Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament `> none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister ^Q bicameral Parliament consisting of a lower house or Legislative Assembly with 25 seats (24 seats representing districts of the Cook Islands and one seat representing Cook Islanders living overseas; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and an upper house or House of Ariki made up of traditional leaders `* the House of Ariki advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers `> last held 26 September 2006 (next to be held by 2011) `? percent of vote by party - Demo 51.9%, CIP 45.5%, independent 2.7%; seats by party - Demo 15, CIP 8, independent 1 ^R High Court ^S Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]; Democratic Party or Demo [Dr. Terepai MAOATE] ^T NA ^U ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO ^V none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) ^W none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) ^X 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 
]% ^Y Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing about one-third of the working population, provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black pearls are the Cook Islands' leading export. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth. ^Z $183.2 million (2005 est.) ^[ $183.2 million (2005 est.) ^\ 0.1% (2005 est.) ^] $9,100 (2005 est.) ^^ `@ 15.1% `A 9.6% `B 75.3% (2004) ^_ 6,820 (2001) ^` `@ 29% `A 15% `B 56% (1995) ^a 13.1% (2005) _! NA% _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 2.1% (2005 est.) _$ `E $70.95 million `F $69.05 million; including capital expenditures of $5.744 million (FY05/06) _& copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry _' fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts _( 1% (2002) _) 28 million kWh (2004) _* 26.04 million kWh (2004 est.) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004) _. 420 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Q $26.67 million (2005) _3 $5.222 million (2005) _4 copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing _5 Australia 34%, Japan 27%, NZ 25%, US 8% (2004) _6 $81.04 million (2005) _7 foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods _8 NZ 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2004) _9 $141 million (1996 est.) _: $13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995) _; NZ dollar (NZD) _< NZ dollars per US dollar - 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002) _= 1 April - 31 March 
]& _> 6,200 (2002) _? 1,500 (2002) _@ `G Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex `H the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable `I country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) _A AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) _B 1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004) _C .ck _D 1,456 (2006) _E 3,600 (2002) 
]' _F 9 (2006) _G `! 2 `b 2 (2006) _R `! 7 `b 2 `c 4 `W 1 (2006) _H `! 320 km `K 33 km `L 287 km (2003) _S `! 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 48,422 GRT/51,900 DWT by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 `X 5 (Norway 1, NZ 1, Sweden 3) (2006) _I Avatiu 
]( _J no regular military forces; Ministry of Police and Disaster Management (2005) _M defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request 
]) _N none 