Cook Islands Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

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

Area

total: 236 sq km

land: 236 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

120 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate

tropical oceanic; 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

highest point: Te Manga 652 m

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

coconuts (copra)

Land use

agricultural land: 8.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 4.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 4.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 64.6% (2018 est.)

other: 27% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

N/A

Population distribution

most of the population is found on the island of Rarotonga

Natural hazards

tropical cyclones (November to March)

Geography - note

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

NOTE: The information regarding Cook Islands on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cook Islands 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cook Islands 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.