CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Cook Islands


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!| Background:
 * 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 0 sq km land: 240 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Te Manga 652 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 13.04% other: 69.57% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * 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
 * total: 240 sq km
 * 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
 * 0 km
 * 120 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * tropical; moderated by trade winds
 * low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
 * lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
 * NEGL
 * arable land: 17.39%
 * NA sq km
 * typhoons (November to March)
 * NA
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea
 * the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles where most of the populace lives
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Sex ratio: !| Infant mortality rate: male: NA female: NA (2004 est.) !| Life expectancy at birth: male: NA years female: NA years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Cook Islander !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 95% male: NA female: NA
 * 21,200 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: NA
 * NA (2004 est.)
 * NA births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * NA deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * NA (2004 est.)
 * total: NA
 * total population: NA years
 * NA children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * NA
 * noun: Cook Islander(s)
 * Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%, Polynesian and European 7.7%, Polynesian and non-European 7.7%, European 2.4%, other 0.9%
 * Christian (majority of populace are members of the Cook Islands Christian Church)
 * English (official), Maori
 * definition: NA
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands !| Dependency status: !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: elections: 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 head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister SIR Geoffrey HENRY (since 14 December 2004) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 7 September 2004 (next to be held by 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CIP 10, DAP 9, Demo Tumu 4, independent 1; note - one seat undecided pending by-election note: the House of Ariki (chiefs) advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: !| Diplomatic representation from the US: !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: none
 * 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
 * self-governing parliamentary democracy
 * Avarua
 * none
 * 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)
 * Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)
 * 4 August 1965
 * based on New Zealand law and English common law
 * NA years of age; universal adult
 * chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner Kurt MEYER (since July 2001), representative of New Zealand
 * unicameral Parliament (25 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
 * High Court
 * Cook Islands People's Party or CIP [Geoffrey HENRY]; Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Terepai MAOATE]; New Alliance Party or NAP [Norman GEORGE]; Cook Islands National Party or CIN [Teariki HEATHER]; Demo Party Tumu [Robert WOONTON]
 * NA
 * ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
 * none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
 * none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 7.8% services: 75.2% (2000 est.) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: note: shortage of skilled labor (1995) !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $27 million, including capital expenditures of $3.3 million (FY00/01 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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 provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $105 million (2001 est.)
 * 7.1% (2001 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)
 * agriculture: 17%
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 3.2% (2000 est.)
 * 8,000 (1996)
 * agriculture 29%, industry 15%, services 56%
 * 13% (1996)
 * revenues: $28 million
 * copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry
 * fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts
 * 1% (2002)
 * 27.43 million kWh (2001)
 * 25.51 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 450 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $9.1 million (2000)
 * copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing
 * Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2000)
 * $50.7 million (2000)
 * foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods
 * New Zealand 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2000)
 * $141 million (1996 est.)
 * $13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)
 * New Zealand dollar (NZD)
 * NZD
 * New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999)
 * 1 April - 31 March
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: 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 international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 6,200 (2002)
 * 1,500 (2002)
 * general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex
 * AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)
 * 14,000 (1997)
 * 1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)
 * 4,000 (1997)
 * .ck
 * 3 (2000)
 * 3,600 (2002)
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!| Highways: paved: 33 km unpaved: 287 km (2000) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: foreign-owned: Australia 1, United Kingdom 1 (2004 est.) by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
 * total: 320 km
 * Avarua, Avatiu
 * total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,074 GRT/7,520 DWT
 * 9 (2003 est.)
 * total: 2
 * total: 7
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!| Military - note:
 * defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
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