Avarua

Avarua is a town on the island of Rarotonga, and the capital of the Cook Islands (New Zealand). Avarua is the main city and lies to the east of the airport, it is located at geographic coordinates of latitude 21°11'60 south and longitude 159°46'0 west above sea level. The surface of Avarua is 67.2 kilometers. The city is extremely small. It has some supermarkets, two banks, several restaurants, hotels and other shops specializing in the sale of black pearls and other handicrafts, as well as the National Library of the Cook Islands.

Demographics

In 2001, the population of Avarua was 10,350.

Religion

It has had European influences. The people have been deeply marked by the Christian religions, they even have their own religion called Cook Island Christian Church (CICC) (Christian Church of the Cook Islands) which is followed by 70% of the islanders. The Catholic Church has the majority of the remaining 30%, but there are some Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other denominations in the city and on the islands.

The Cook Island Christian Church (CICC) is a branch within the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (Anglican Communion).

Economy

Tourism provides nearly half of the GDP in the Cook Islands which hosted 7 tourists for every islander in 1998. This makes the Cook Islands the sixth most influential tourism territory in the world by Tourism Saturation Index of 3.36. Therefore, there are about 40 hotels spread all over the island, most located in Avarua. Also in Avarua it is important for the sale of pearls and their cultivation, as well as agriculture. The Cook Islands National Library is also located in this city.