Cook Islands

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

Highways

total: 187 km paved: 35 km unpaved: gravel 35 km; improved earth 84 km; unimproved earth 33 km (1980)

Merchant marine

1 cargo ship (1,000 or over) totaling 1,464 GRT/2,181 DWT

Ports

Avatiu

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

Affiliation

(territory of Australia)

Note

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Agriculture

accounts for 12% of GDP, export crops - copra, citrus fruits, pineapples, tomatoes, bananas; subsistence crops - yams, taro

Budget

revenues: $38 million expenditures: $34.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)

Currency

1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $128 million

Electricity

capacity: 14,000 kW production: 21 million kWh consumption per capita: 1,170 kWh (1990)

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)

Exports

$3.4 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: copra, fresh and canned fruit, clothing partners: NZ 80%, Japan

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Imports

$50 million (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber partners: NZ 49%, Japan, Australia, US

Industrial production

growth rate NA%; accounts for 5% of GDP

Industries

fruit processing, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.2% (1990)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $57 million (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$3,000 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

NA%

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.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 240 sq km land area: 240 sq km comparative area: slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Coastline

120 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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 4% permanent crops: 22% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 74%

Location

Oceania, Polynesia, 4,500 km south of Hawaii in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

negligible

Terrain

low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

Administrative divisions

none

Capital

Avarua

Constitution

4 August 1965

Digraph

CW

Diplomatic representation in US

none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

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

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

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)

Judicial branch

High Court

Legal system

NA

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

AsDB, ESCAP (associate), ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands

National holiday

Constitution Day, 4 August

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

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

Suffrage

universal adult at age NA

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

US diplomatic representation

none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Birth rate

23.22 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

5.2 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%, Polynesian and European 7.7%, Polynesian and other 7.7%, European 2.4%, other 0.9%

Infant mortality rate

24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

5,810 by occupation: agriculture 29%, government 27%, services 25%, industry 15%, other 4% (1981)

Languages

English (official), Maori

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.14 years male: 69.2 years female: 73.1 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander

Net migration rate

-6.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

19,124 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

1.15% (1994 est.)

Religions

Christian (majority of populace members of Cook Islands Christian Church)

Total fertility rate

3.3 children born/woman (1994 est.)