Geography 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.

From March to December, the Cook Islands are in the path of tropical cyclones, the most notable of which were cyclones Martin (1997) and Percy (2005).^[1] Two terrestrial ecoregions lie within the islands' territory: the Central Polynesian tropical moist forests and the Cook Islands tropical moist forests.^[2]

Islands and reefs

Island Group	Island	Area (km²)	Population	Density
Northern	Penrhyn	10	226	22.6
Northern	Rakahanga	4	80	20.0
Northern	Manihiki	5	213	42.6
Northern	Pukapuka	1	444	444.0
Northern	Tema Reef (submerged)	0	0	–
Northern	Nassau	1	78	78.0
Northern	Suwarrow	0	0	0.0
Southern	Palmerston	2	58	28.0
Southern	Aitutaki	18	1,928	107.1
Southern	Manuae	6	0	0.0
Southern	Takutea	1	0	0.0
Southern	Mitiaro	22	155	7.1
Southern	Atiu	27	437	16.2
Southern	Mauke	18	297	16.5
Southern	Winslow Reef (submerged)	0	0	–
Southern	Rarotonga	67	13,044	194.7
Southern	Mangaia	52	499	9.6
Total	Total	237	17,459	73.7

Note: The table is ordered from north to south. Population figures from the 2016 census.^[3]

Area

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)

Climate

Tropical; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March

Terrain

Low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

Elevation extremes

Natural resources

coconuts

Land use

Natural hazards

Typhoons (November to March)

Environment - international agreements