Geography of the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands can be divided into two groups.

Contents

1 Southern Cook Islands 2 Northern Cook Islands 3 Location 4 Geography

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

Location

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geography

Geographic coordinates

Map references

Oceania

Area

• Total: 240 km²
• Land: 240 km²
• Water: 0 km²

Area - comparative

1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

0 km

Coastline

120 km

Maritime claims

• Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
• Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

Tropical; moderated by trade winds

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: 9%
• Permanent crops: 13%
• Permanent pastures: 0%
• Forests and woodland: 0%
• Other: 78% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land

NA km²

Natural hazards

Typhoons (November to March)

Environment - current issues

NA

Environment - international agreements

• Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
• Signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

See also: Cook Islands