Cook Islands - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Cook Islands. 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is

Geographical data of Cook Islands
Location Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates 21 14 S, 159 46 W
Map references Oceania
Tarrain low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Natural Resources coconuts (copra)
Natural Hazards tropical cyclones (November to March)
Irrigated Land NA
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 120 km
Climate tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March
Area
Total Area
Land Area 236 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Te Manga 652 m
Lowest point Pacific Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 8.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 4.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 4.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest 64.6% (2018 est.)
Other 27% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Most of the population is found on the island of Rarotonga

People and Society

In Cook Islands, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Cook Island Maori 77.4%, part Cook Island Maori 8.3%, Fijian 3.6%, New Zealand Maori/European 3.4%, Filipino 2.9%, other Pacific Islands 1.8%, other 2.6% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate -2.24% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 12.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3.2% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 2.02 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.99 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 42.6% (2023 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures 4.6% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate -25.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Cook Islander | Cook Islander(s)
Languages English (official) 86.4%, Cook Islands Maori (Rarotongan) (official) 76.2%, other 8.3% (2011 est.)
Religions Protestant 55% (Cook Islands Christian Church 43.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.3%, Assemblies of God 3.6%), Roman Catholic 16.7%, Church of Jesus Christ 3.9%, Jehovah's Witness 2.2%, Apostolic Church 2.1%, other 4.5%, none/unspecified 15.6% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 18.2% (male 738/female 671)
15-64 years 65.9% (male 2,634/female 2,479)
65 years and over 16% (2024 est.) (male 608/female 631)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 53.8
Youth dependency ratio 36.4
Elderly dependency ratio 17.4
Potential support ratio 5.8 (2021)
Median Age
Total 41.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 40.7 years
Female 41.4 years
Urbanization
Urban population 76.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) .
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.96 male(s)/female
Total population 1.05 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 19 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 77.6 years (2024 est.)
Male 74.8 years
Female 80.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 99.1% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0.9% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 12.97 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 3.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 2.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 7.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 24% (2020 est.)
Male 27.7% (2020 est.)
Female 20.3% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Cook Islands

Want to know more about Cook Islands? Check all different factbooks for Cook Islands below.

Cook Islands is found in Polynesia