Cook Islands

The Cook Islands (English: Cook Islands, Raro Tongan: Kuki 'Āirani) make up an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and New Zealand. They have a democratic-parliamentary system of government in free association with New Zealand. The fifteen small islands have a combined area of 236 km², but the Exclusive Economic Zone occupies more than 1,800,000 square kilometers of ocean.

The population is concentrated on the island of Rarotonga (14,153 inhabitants in 2006), where the international airport is located. There are also many Cook Islanders living in New Zealand, particularly on the North Island. At the 2006 census there were 58,008 people identified as of Cook Island Māori descent.

With more than 90,000 visitors a year in 2006, tourism is the main source of income for the islands, more than the banking business, pearls, and exports of seafood and exotic fruits.

Advocacy and foreign representation is the responsibility of New Zealand, which is also required to consult the Cook Islands. Even so, in recent years the Cook Islands have been adopting a growing independence in terms of the management of Foreign Affairs.^{[citation required]} The citizens of the Cook Islands have New Zealand citizenship and also own Cook Islands nationality.

The capital is Avarua. A popular form of art on the islands is tivaevae, handmade quilts.

History

The Cook Islands were first settled in the VI century AD by Polynesian peoples who migrated from nearby from Tahiti, to the southeast.

The first European contacts on the island date back to 1595, when the Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neyra sighted Pukapuka Island and named it San Bernardo. In 1606 the explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós sighted Rakahanga, who called it Beautiful People. In 1764 the British sighted Pukapuka and called it Danger Island but they did not settle.

Between 1773 and 1779, Captain James Cook claimed for the British crown the archipelago that now bears his name, between the islands of Tahiti and Tonga. In 1888, the islands acquired protectorate status, becoming annexed in 1901 by New Zealand. On August 4, 1965, New Zealand granted autonomy to the Cook Islands. In 1985 the Treaty of Rarotonga was signed, which declared the South Pacific as a non-nuclear zone.

Politics

It is a dependency with a parliamentary representative democracy, where the Chief Minister is the Head of State. The islands are self-governing in free association with New Zealand and are fully responsible for internal affairs. New Zealand retains some external affairs responsibilities, in consultation with the Cook Islands. In recent years, the Cook Islands have had greater control in its foreign affairs and as of 2005 it has had diplomatic relations with 18 countries. The executive power is exerced by the government. Legislative power is vested in the government and the Legislative Council. The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative branches.

In the executive branch, the office of monarch is hereditary; the representative of him is assigned by the monarch. The New Zealand High Commissioner is chosen by the New Zealand government. The cabinet is chosen by the prime minister and is collectively responsible to Parliament.

The Legislative Council has 25 members, elected for five-year terms, with one seat per constituency. The current Constitution dates from August 5, 1965 (modified in May 1981). There are four political parties in the country: the Cook Islands Party, the Democratic Party, the One Cook Islands Movement and the Titikaveka Oire.

The defense of these islands is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with and at the request of the Cook Islands.

Geography

Map of the Cook Islands.

Aerial view of Pukapuka.

Cook Islands Beach.

Avarua main street.

Situated between parallels 9° and 23° south latitude, the archipelago consists of 9 mountainous volcanic islands to the south and numerous low-lying atolls to the north, which together have an area of 236 km². The highest point is the Te Manga (652 m). The capital, Avarua, is located on the island of Rarotonga.

The climate is tropical, moderate with some winds. They usually tour typhoons from November to March.

The 10 foreign councils are

		Aitutaki (including the uninhabited island of Manuae)
		Mangaia
		Atiu (including the uninhabited island of Takutea)
		Mauke
		Mitiaro
		Manihiki
		Penrhyn
		Rakahanga
		Pukapuka (including Nassau and Suwarrow)
		Palmerston

There are 9 municipalities.

Southern Cook Islands

• Aitutaki
• Atiu
• Mangaia
• Manuae
• Mauke
• Mitiaro
• Palmerston Island
• Rarotonga (capital)
• Takutea

Northern Cook Islands

• Manihiki
• Nassau
• Penrhyn Island, also known as Tongareva or Mangarongaro
• Pukapuka
• Rakahanga
• Suwarrow, also called Suvorov

Demographics

Suwarrow Island.

Most of the inhabitants are ethnic Polynesian (81%), with mixed race (15%), European (2%) and other minorities.

Many inhabitants have emigrated to other countries, it is estimated that there are around 60,000 inhabitants abroad; of which 40,000 are in New Zealand. There is a decrease within the country in all the islands, except Rarotonga.

Church in Arutanga, Aitutaki

Religion

In the Cook Islands the Church is separate from the state; the majority of its population is Christian. The religious distribution is as follows:

The various Protestant groups make up 62.8% of believers, the most followed denomination being the Christian Church of the Cook Islands with 49.1%; other Protestant Christian groups include Seventh-day Adventists, 7.9%, Assemblies of God, 3.7%, Apostolic Church, 2.1%. The main non-Protestant group is made up of Catholics with 17% of the population. While Mormons make up 4.4%.

Languages

The languages of the Cook Islands are English, Māori (or "Rarotongan") and Pukapukano. Cook Islands Māori dialects include Penrhyn; the rakahanga-manihiki; the Ngaputoru dialect of Atiu, Mitiaro and Ma'uke; the Aitutaki dialect; and the Mangaian dialect. Cook Islands Māori and its dialectical variants are closely related to both Tahitian and New Zealand Māori. Pukapukano is considered to be closely related to the Samoan language. English and Raro Tongan are official languages of the Cook Islands; under the Te Reo Maori Act. The legal definition of Cook Islands Māori includes Pukapukano.

Economy

As with other South Pacific nations, the Cook Islands' economy suffers from the country's isolation, lack of natural resources and poor infrastructure, not to mention the weather events that regularly devastate the region.

Agriculture provides most of the income, with the export of copra and citrus. The rest of the agricultural production is made up of tomato, peas, plantain, pineapple, coffee, sweet potato, taro and papaya. There are also a hundred producers of black pearls.

The Cook Islands must import food, textiles, fuel and timber.

The industry is limited to the transformation of fruits, clothing manufacturing and the production of handicrafts. The trade deficit is corrected by remittances from emigrants and foreign aid, particularly from New Zealand.

The issuance of postage stamps, mainly for collecting, is also a very important source of income for its economy.

After declaring bankruptcy in 1996, the country took steps to get out of its difficult economic situation. The number of government officials was cut in half, diplomatic representations abroad were closed, and public assets were sold.

The government seeks to promote tourism, offer fiscal facilities, and foster the development of fishing and mining. The results have been regular: the inhabitants, mostly of Polynesian origin, continue to have problems living with the weak local production, which is why they are forced to emigrate.

Transportation

The archipelago has two ports, Avarua and Avatiu, and six airfields (one with a paved runway). There are 187 km of roads, of which only 35 are paved.

Culture

Playa de Rarotonga.

Music

Music in the Cook Islands is varied, Christian songs are very famous, but traditional dances and songs in Polynesian languages are still very popular.

Art

Wood carving is a common art form in the Cook Islands. The proximity of the islands of the southern group helped to produce a homogeneous style of carving that had special developments on each island. Rarotonga is known for its fisher gods and staff gods, Atiu for its wooden seats, Mitiaro, Mauke and Atiu for its mallet and slab gods and Mangaia for its ceremonial adzes. Most of the original wood carvings were either removed by early European collectors or burned in large numbers by missionaries.

Today, carving is no longer the main art form with the same spiritual and cultural emphasis given to it by the Maori in New Zealand. However, there are ongoing efforts to interest the young in their heritage and some good work is being done under the guidance of older carvers. Atiu, in particular, has a strong artisan tradition both in carving and in local fiber arts such as the tapa. Mangaia is the source of many fine adzes carved in a distinctive and idiosyncratic style with the so-called double k design. Mangaia also produces food hammers carved from the heavy calcite found in its extensive limestone caves.

Fabric

The outer islands produce the traditional weaving of mats, basketry, and hats. Particularly fine examples of rite hats are worn by women in church. They are made from the uncrimped immature fiber of the coconut palm and are of very high quality. The Polynesian equivalent of Panama hats, they are highly valued and highly sought after by Polynesian visitors to Tahiti. They are often decorated with hat bands made of tiny pupu shells that are painted and sewn by hand. Although pupues are found on other islands, their collection and use in decorative work has become a specialty of Mangaia. Ritual weaving is a specialty of the northern islands, Manihiki, Rakahanga and Penrhyn.

National holidays

Wildlife

• The Cook Islands National Flower is the Tiare māori or Tiale māoli (Penrhyn, Nassau, Pukapuka).
• Cook Islands have a large non-native population Kiore toka (boat rats) and Polynesia rats. Rats have drastically reduced bird populations on the islands.
• In April 2007, 27 Kuhl loritos were reintroduced in Atiu from Rimatara. Fossils and oral traditions indicate that this species had lived in at least five of the islands of the southern group before. Excessive sale of your reddish plumage is the main reason for extinction of species on the Cook Islands.

Sports

The most popular sport in the Cook Islands is soccer. The Cook Islands Football Association is in charge of its organization, and belongs to both OFC and FIFA. It is one of the weakest teams worldwide, as it has occupied the last places in the FIFA World Ranking; his best position was 197. In addition, he suffered the second biggest win in the history of all international matches, he was defeated 30:0 by Tahiti, on September 2, 1971.

The biggest competition at the football level is the Cook Islands First Division, which is made up of 7 teams, in an all-against-all system in 2 rounds, Tupapa Maraerenga FC was the last champion, while Titikaveka FC He is the most winner in the league, with 14 titles. There is also the Cook Islands Cup, which in 2011 was won by Nikao Sokattack. The Cook Islands Second Division has been discontinued since 2006, since economic and administrative problems, in addition to the lack of equipment, prevented its normal development.