re humid season from December to March

Terrain:
low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Te Manga 652 m

Natural resources:
NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 8.33%
other: 75% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
typhoons (November to March)

Environment - current issues:
NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated,
coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the
population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic
isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km

People Cook Islands

Population:
21,388 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.1% (male 2,718/female 2,388)
15-64 years: 59.5% (male 4,531/female 4,395)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 489/female 469) (2001 census)

Median age:
total: 25.3 years
male: 24.7 years
female: 25.9 years (2001 census)

Population growth rate:
-1.2% between 1996-2001 (2001 census)

Birth rate:
21 births/1,000 population (2001 census)

Death rate:
NA deaths/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
1.07 male(s)/female (2001 census)

Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Total fertility rate:
3.1 children born/woman (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Cook Islander(s)
adjective: Cook Islander

Ethnic groups:
Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%,
other 6.5% (2001 census)

Religions:
Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%,
Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other
Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census)

Languages:
English (official), Maori

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 95%
male: NA%
female: NA%

People - note:
2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017

Government Cook Islands

Country name:
conventional long