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.With an area of 236 sq km, it is 1.3 times the size of Washington, D.C.
CIA World Factbook
Cook Islands are surrounded by the South Pacific Ocean. It is mostly low coral atolls in north and volcanic, hilly islands in south.
People who live in the Cook Islands are called Cook Islanders, which is also an adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2012, there are 10,447 people in Cook Islands. The ethnic group that resides in Cook Islands is mostly Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) at 87.7%. English is the official language, but Maori is also spoken there. Protestants make up approximately 69.6% of the population, while Roman Catholics (16.8%) and Mormons (3.8%) make up most of the rest.
The Cook Islands were once known as the Harvey Islands. The capital is Avarua. Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The country has the right to move to full independence at any time. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current prime minister is Henry Puna. Information about the leaders of Cook Islands' government can be found here. The currency is the NZ dollar (abbreviated NZD), which stands at 1.289 NZD per USD as of 2012.
All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook.
Cook Islands, CIA World Factbook
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