Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 provided courtesy of The Libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis Match 59 DB Rec# - 55,806 Dataset-WOFACT Source :CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Source key :CI Program :WORLD FACTBOOK ID number :CI WOFACT 058 Title :COOK ISLANDS Data type :TEXT End year :1994 Date of record:02/16/1994 Keywords 3 : | COOK ISLANDS Text : COOK ISLANDS Affiliation: (free association with New Zealand) GEOGRAPHY Location: Oceania, 4,500 km south of Hawaii in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand Map references: Oceania Area: total area: 240 km2 land area: 240 km2 comparative area: slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 120 km continental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: none Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds Terrain: low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south Natural resources: negligible Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 22% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 74% Irrigated land: NA km2 Environment: subject to typhoons from November to March Population: 18,903 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 1.18% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 23.4 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: -6.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.14 years male: 69.2 years female: 73.1 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.32 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander Ethnic divisions: Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%, Polynesian and European 7.7%, Polynesian and other 7.7%, European 2.4%, other 0.9% Religions: Christian (majority of populace members of Cook Islands Christian Church) Languages: English (official), Maori total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Labor force: 5,810 by occupation: agriculture 29%, government 27%, services 25%, industry 15%, other 4% (1981) GOVERNMENT Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands Digraph: CW Type: self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand Capital: Avarua Administrative divisions: none 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) Constitution: 4 August 1965 Legal system: NA National holiday: Constitution Day, 4 August Political parties and leaders: Cook Islands Party, Geoffrey HENRY; Democratic Tumu Party, Vincent INGRAM; Democratic Party, Terepai MAOATE; Cook Islands Labor Party, Rena JONASSEN; Cook Islands People's Party, Sadaraka SADARAKA Suffrage: universal adult at age NA Elections: Parliament: last held 19 January 1989 (next to be held by January 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (24 total) Cook Islands Party 12, Democratic Tumu Party 2, opposition coalition (including Democratic Party) 9, independent 1 Executive branch: British monarch, representative of the UK, representative of New Zealand, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament; note - the House of Arikis (chiefs) advises on traditional matters, but has no legislative powers Judicial branch: High Court Leaders: Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Representative of the UK Sir Tangaroa TANGAROA (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 NA February 1989) Member of: AsDB, ESCAP (associate), ICAO, IOC, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, WHO Diplomatic representation in US: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) US diplomatic representation: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) 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 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. Current economic development plans call for exploiting the tourism potential and expanding the fishing industry. National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $40 million (1988 est.) National product real growth rate: 5.3% (1986-88 est.) National product per capita: $2,200 (1988 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1988) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $33.8 million; expenditures $34.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.) Exports: $4.0 million (f.o.b., 1988) commodities: copra, fresh and canned fruit, clothing partners: NZ 80%, Japan Imports: $38.7 million (c.i.f., 1988) commodities: foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber partners: NZ 49%, Japan, Australia, US External debt: $NA Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 14,000 kW capacity; 21 million kWh produced, 1,170 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: fruit processing, tourism Agriculture: export crops - copra, citrus fruits, pineapples, tomatoes, bananas; subsistence crops - yams, taro Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $128 million Currency: 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.9490 (January 1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7266 (1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989), 1.5244 (1988) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March COMMUNICATIONS Ports: Avatiu Merchant marine: 1 cargo ship (1,000 or over) totaling 1,464 GRT/2,181 DWT 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 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 Defense forces Note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 produced by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK CD-ROM, July, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/7/v.1-2 / R. Muns, UM-St. Louis Libraries Local Filename: WF940057.TXT