onal 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

*Cook Islands, People

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
Literacy:
total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
5,810
by occupation:
agriculture 29%, government 27%, services 25%, industry 15%, other 4% (1981)

*Cook Islands, 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
retains responsibility for external affairs, in consultation with the Cook
Islands
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:
Parliame