Geography of the Cook Islands: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Wyspy Cooka.png|thumb|300px|Map showing the two chains of the Cook Islands]]
[[File:Wyspy Cooka.png|thumb|300px|Map showing the two chains of the Cook Islands]]


The [[Cook Islands]] can be divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the [[Northern Cook Islands]]. The country is located in [[Oceania]], in the South [[Pacific Ocean]], about halfway between [[Hawaii]] and [[New Zealand]].  
The [[Cook Islands]] is located in [[Oceania]], in the South [[Pacific Ocean]], about halfway between [[Hawaii]] and [[New Zealand]]. The country can be divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the [[Northern Cook Islands]]. [[Rarotonga]] in the southern group is the main island. All the other islands are known collectively as the ''Pa Enua'' or Outer Islands.


From December through to March, the Cook Islands are in the path of tropical cyclones, the most notable of which were cyclones [[Cyclone Martin (1997)|Martin]] (1997) and [[Cyclone Percy|Percy]] (2005).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cook Islands climate: average weather, temperature, precipitation, best time |url=https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/cook-islands |access-date=2020-08-11|website=www.climatestotravel.com}}</ref> Two [[Ecoregion#Terrestrial|terrestrial ecoregions]] lie within the islands' territory: the [[Central Polynesian tropical moist forests]] and the [[Cook Islands tropical moist forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=6|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref>
The land areas of the southern islands range in size up to the {{convert|67|sqkm|sqmi|adj=on}} Rarotonga, while none of the northern islands are bigger than {{convert|10|sqkm|sqmi}}. The most populous islands are Rarotonga with a population of 11,000 and [[Aitutaki]] with 1,800; none of the other islands have more than 500, and a few are uninhabited.
 
Two [[Ecoregion#Terrestrial|terrestrial ecoregions]] lie within the Cook Islands territory: the [[Central Polynesian tropical moist forests]] and the [[Cook Islands tropical moist forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |display-authors=6 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |pages=534–545 |issn=0006-3568 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287}}</ref>


==Islands and reefs==
==Islands and reefs==
=== Southern Cook Islands ===
*[[Aitutaki]]
*[[Atiu]]
*[[Mangaia]]
*[[Manuae (Cook Islands)|Manuae]]
*[[Mauke]]
*[[Mitiaro]]
*[[Palmerston Island]]
*[[Rarotonga]] (capital)
*[[Takutea]]
=== Northern Cook Islands ===
*[[Manihiki]]
*[[Nassau (Cook Islands)|Nassau]]
*[[Penrhyn atoll]]
*[[Pukapuka]]
*[[Rakahanga]]
*[[Suwarrow]]
===Table===


{| class="sortable wikitable"
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Island<br />Group
! Island<br />group
! Island
! Island
! Area<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)
! Area<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)
! Population
! Population
! Density
! Density <br />(/km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|-
| [[Northern Cook Islands|Northern]]
| Northern
| [[Penrhyn atoll|Penrhyn]]
| [[Penrhyn atoll]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 10
| style='text-align:right;' | 10
| style='text-align:right;' | 226
| style='text-align:right;' | 233
| style='text-align:right;' | 22.6
| style='text-align:right;' | 24
|-
|-
| [[Northern Cook Islands|Northern]]
| Northern
| [[Rakahanga]]
| [[Rakahanga]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 4
| style='text-align:right;' | 4
| style='text-align:right;' | 80
| style='text-align:right;' | 81
| style='text-align:right;' | 20.0
| style='text-align:right;' | 20
|-
|-
| [[Northern Cook Islands|Northern]]
| Northern
| [[Manihiki]]
| [[Manihiki]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 5
| style='text-align:right;' | 5
| style='text-align:right;' | 213
| style='text-align:right;' | 215
| style='text-align:right;' | 42.6
| style='text-align:right;' | 40
|-
|-
| [[Northern Cook Islands|Northern]]
| Northern
| [[Pukapuka]]
| [[Pukapuka]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 1
| style='text-align:right;' | 1
| style='text-align:right;' | 444
| style='text-align:right;' | 456
| style='text-align:right;' | 444.0
| style='text-align:right;' | 351
|-
|-
| [[Northern Cook Islands|Northern]]
| Northern
| [[Tema Reef]] (submerged)
| [[Tema Reef]] (submerged)
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
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| style='text-align:right;' | –
| style='text-align:right;' | –
|-
|-
| [[Northern Cook Islands|Northern]]
| Northern
| [[Nassau (Cook Islands)|Nassau]]
| [[Nassau (Cook Islands)|Nassau]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 1
| style='text-align:right;' | 1
| style='text-align:right;' | 78
| style='text-align:right;' | 92
| style='text-align:right;' | 78.0
| style='text-align:right;' | 71
|-
|-
| [[Northern Cook Islands|Northern]]
| Northern
| [[Suwarrow]]
| [[Suwarrow]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 0.4
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0.0
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Palmerston Island|Palmerston]]
| [[Palmerston Island|Palmerston]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 2
| style='text-align:right;' | 2
| style='text-align:right;' | 58
| style='text-align:right;' | 25
| style='text-align:right;' | 28.0
| style='text-align:right;' | 12
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Aitutaki]]
| [[Aitutaki]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 18
| style='text-align:right;' | 18
| style='text-align:right;' | 1,928
| style='text-align:right;' | 1,782
| style='text-align:right;' | 107.1
| style='text-align:right;' | 97
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Manuae (Cook Islands)|Manuae]]
| [[Manuae (Cook Islands)|Manuae]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 6
| style='text-align:right;' | 6
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0.0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Takutea]]
| [[Takutea]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 1
| style='text-align:right;' | 1
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0.0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Mitiaro]]
| [[Mitiaro]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 22
| style='text-align:right;' | 22
| style='text-align:right;' | 155
| style='text-align:right;' | 155
| style='text-align:right;' | 7.1
| style='text-align:right;' | 7
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Atiu]]
| [[Atiu]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 27
| style='text-align:right;' | 27
| style='text-align:right;' | 437
| style='text-align:right;' | 383
| style='text-align:right;' | 16.2
| style='text-align:right;' | 14
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Mauke]]
| [[Mauke]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 18
| style='text-align:right;' | 18
| style='text-align:right;' | 297
| style='text-align:right;' | 249
| style='text-align:right;' | 16.5
| style='text-align:right;' | 14
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Winslow Reef, Cook Islands|Winslow Reef]] (submerged)
| [[Winslow Reef, Cook Islands|Winslow Reef]] (submerged)
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
| style='text-align:right;' | 0
Line 127: Line 108:
| style='text-align:right;' | –
| style='text-align:right;' | –
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Rarotonga]]
| [[Rarotonga]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 67
| style='text-align:right;' | 67
| style='text-align:right;' | 13,044
| style='text-align:right;' | 10,898
| style='text-align:right;' | 194.7
| style='text-align:right;' | 162
|-
|-
| [[Geography of the Cook Islands#Southern Cook Islands|Southern]]
| Southern
| [[Mangaia]]
| [[Mangaia]]
| style='text-align:right;' | 52
| style='text-align:right;' | 52
| style='text-align:right;' | 499
| style='text-align:right;' | 471
| style='text-align:right;' | 9.6
| style='text-align:right;' | 9
|-
|-
! Total  
! Total  
! Total
! Total
! style='text-align:right;' | 237
! style='text-align:right;' | 237
! style='text-align:right;' | 17,459
! style='text-align:right;' | 15,040
! style='text-align:right;' | 73.7
! style='text-align:right;' | 64
|}
|}


Note: The table is ordered from north to south. Population figures from the 2016 census.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mfem.gov.ck/census |title=Cook Islands Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, 2016 Census |access-date=11 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828062044/http://www.mfem.gov.ck/census |archive-date=28 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The table is ordered from north to south, but can be re-ordered by any column. Figures are from the 2021 census.<ref name=Census2021>{{Cite web |title= Census of Population and Dwellings 2021 |publisher=Cook Islands Statistics Office |date=2022 |url= https://stats.gov.ck/download/83/census-2021/1497/2021-census-report-with-tables-and-questionnaire.pdf |page=17 |access-date=1 August 2025}}</ref>
 
==Climate==
The climate is tropical, moderated by trade winds, with a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March.<ref>''The World Factbook''. CIA.</ref> The islands are in the path of tropical cyclones from December to March, the most notable of which were cyclones [[Cyclone Martin (1997)|Martin]] (1997) and [[Cyclone Percy|Percy]] (2005).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cook Islands climate: average weather, temperature, precipitation, best time |url= https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/cook-islands |website=www.climatestotravel.com |access-date=2020-08-11}}</ref>


== Statistics ==
== Statistics ==


; Area:
; Area:
:* Total: {{convert|236|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
:* Land: {{convert|237|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
:* Land: 236&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
:* Water: 0&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
; Area - comparative:
; Area - comparative:
: 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
: 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Line 162: Line 144:
:* Continental shelf: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}} or to the edge of the [[continental margin]]
:* Continental shelf: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}} or to the edge of the [[continental margin]]
:* Exclusive economic zone: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on}}
:* Exclusive economic zone: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on}}
; Climate:
: Tropical; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March
; Terrain:
; Terrain:
: Low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
: Low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Line 182: Line 162:
; Time Zone:
; Time Zone:
: UTC -10 (GMT -10)
: UTC -10 (GMT -10)
; Largest Island:
: [[Rarotonga]]
; Environment - international agreements
; Environment - international agreements
:* Party to: [[Biodiversity]], [[Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol]], [[Desertification]], Hazardous Wastes, [[Law of the Sea]], Ozone Layer Protection
:* Party to: [[Biodiversity]], [[Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol]], [[Desertification]], Hazardous Wastes, [[Law of the Sea]], Ozone Layer Protection
Line 203: Line 181:


[[Category:Geography of the Cook Islands| ]]
[[Category:Geography of the Cook Islands| ]]
{{CookIslands-geo-stub}}

Latest revision as of 02:30, 9 October 2025

Coordinates: 21°14′S 159°46′W / 21.233°S 159.767°W / -21.233; -159.767

File:Wyspy Cooka.png
Map showing the two chains of the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is located in Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The country can be divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands. Rarotonga in the southern group is the main island. All the other islands are known collectively as the Pa Enua or Outer Islands.

The land areas of the southern islands range in size up to the 67-square-kilometre (26 sq mi) Rarotonga, while none of the northern islands are bigger than 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi). The most populous islands are Rarotonga with a population of 11,000 and Aitutaki with 1,800; none of the other islands have more than 500, and a few are uninhabited.

Two terrestrial ecoregions lie within the Cook Islands territory: the Central Polynesian tropical moist forests and the Cook Islands tropical moist forests.[1]

Islands and reefs

Island
group 		Island Area
(km2) 		Population Density
(/km2)
Northern Penrhyn atoll 10 233 24
Northern Rakahanga 4 81 20
Northern Manihiki 5 215 40
Northern Pukapuka 1 456 351
Northern Tema Reef (submerged) 0 0 –
Northern Nassau 1 92 71
Northern Suwarrow 0.4 0 0
Southern Palmerston 2 25 12
Southern Aitutaki 18 1,782 97
Southern Manuae 6 0 0
Southern Takutea 1 0 0
Southern Mitiaro 22 155 7
Southern Atiu 27 383 14
Southern Mauke 18 249 14
Southern Winslow Reef (submerged) 0 0 –
Southern Rarotonga 67 10,898 162
Southern Mangaia 52 471 9
Total Total 237 15,040 64

The table is ordered from north to south, but can be re-ordered by any column. Figures are from the 2021 census.[2]

Climate

The climate is tropical, moderated by trade winds, with a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March.[3] The islands are in the path of tropical cyclones from December to March, the most notable of which were cyclones Martin (1997) and Percy (2005).[4]

Statistics

Area
  • Land: 237 km2 (92 sq mi)
Area - comparative
1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
120 km (75 mi)
Maritime claims
  • Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
  • Continental shelf: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) or to the edge of the continental margin
  • Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
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 (2,139 ft)
Natural resources
coconuts
fresh water
Land use
  • Arable land: 4.17%
  • Permanent crops: 4.17%
  • Other: 91.67% (2012 est.)
Natural hazards
Typhoons (November to March)
Tsunamis (Year-round)
Time Zone
UTC -10 (GMT -10)
Environment - international agreements

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dinerstein, Eric; Olson, David; Joshi, Anup; Vynne, Carly; Burgess, Neil D.; Wikramanayake, Eric; et al. (2017). "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm". BioScience. 67 (6): 534–545. doi:10.1093/biosci/bix014. ISSN 0006-3568. PMC 5451287. PMID 28608869.
  2. ↑ "Census of Population and Dwellings 2021" (PDF). Cook Islands Statistics Office. 2022. p. 17. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  3. ↑ The World Factbook. CIA.
  4. ↑ "Cook Islands climate: average weather, temperature, precipitation, best time". www.climatestotravel.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/.

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