The Cook Islands is located in Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The country can be divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands. Rarotonga in the southern group is the main island. All the other islands are known collectively as the Pa Enua or Outer Islands.
The land areas of the southern islands range in size up to the Rarotonga, while none of the northern islands are bigger than . The most populous islands are Rarotonga with a population of 11,000 and Aitutaki with 1,800; none of the other islands have more than 500, and a few are uninhabited.
Two terrestrial ecoregions lie within the Cook Islands territory: the Central Polynesian tropical moist forests and the Cook Islands tropical moist forests.
Islands and reefs
Islandgroup Island Area(km2) Population Density (/km2) Northern Penrhyn atoll 10 233 24 Northern Rakahanga 4 81 20 Northern Manihiki 5 215 40 Northern Pukapuka 1 456 351 Northern Tema Reef (submerged) 0 0 – Northern Nassau 1 92 71 Northern Suwarrow 0.4 0 0 Southern Palmerston 2 25 12 Southern Aitutaki 18 1,782 97 Southern Manuae 6 0 0 Southern Takutea 1 0 0 Southern Mitiaro 22 155 7 Southern Atiu 27 383 14 Southern Mauke 18 249 14 Southern Winslow Reef (submerged) 0 0 – Southern Rarotonga 67 10,898 162 Southern Mangaia 52 471 9 Total Total 237 15,040 64
The table is ordered from north to south, but can be re-ordered by any column. Figures are from the 2021 census.
Climate The climate is tropical, moderated by trade winds, with a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March.The World Factbook. CIA. The islands are in the path of tropical cyclones from December to March, the most notable of which were cyclones Martin (1997) and Percy (2005).
Statistics
Area Land: Area - comparative 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC Coastline
Maritime claims Territorial sea: Continental shelf: or to the edge of the continental margin Exclusive economic zone: Terrain Low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south Elevation extremes Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m Highest point: Te Manga Natural resources coconuts fresh water Land use Arable land: 4.17% Permanent crops: 4.17% Other: 91.67% (2012 est.)
Natural hazards Typhoons (November to March) Tsunamis (Year-round) Time Zone UTC -10 (GMT -10) Environment - international agreements Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
See also List of ecoregions in the Cook Islands List of lakes of the Cook Islands List of mountains in the Cook Islands List of rivers of the Cook Islands
References
External links Maritime Boundaries