Simple directory > Regional > Cook Islands

Country : Cook Islands Official name: Cook Islands Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Administrator Grant Tambling (since 1 Nov 2003). Head of government: Prime Minister Jim Marurai (elected 14 Dec 2004) Ruling party: Cook Islands Party (CIP) (from 14 Dec 2004) Area: 234 square km (15 islands); Rarotonga (67 square km) Population: 13,999 (2004) Capital: Avarua, on the island of Rarotonga Official language: English; Cook Islands' Maori (from 2003) Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents; Cook Islands' own currency is defunct Exchange rate: NZ$1.45 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$5,000 (2003) GDP real growth: 3.10% (2003) Labour force: 8,000 (2003) Unemployment: 13.00% (2003) Inflation: 2.40% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$41.60 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$141.00 million (2003) Visitor numbers: 78,328 (2003)

Historical profile

1200 The islands were believed to have been settled by neighbouring Tahitians.

1596 The Spaniard, Alvaro de Mendana, was thought to be the first European to sight the islands.

1733 The islands were named in honour of Captain James Cook.

1789 Rarotonga, the main island, was sighted by the Bounty mutineers.

1888 The islands became a British protectorate.

1901 The Cook Islands became part of New Zealand.

1965 The islands became self-governing, as a New Zealand dependency.

1994 Prime Minister Geoffrey Henry's Cook Islands Party (CIP) won the general election with 20 seats in the 25-seat parliament – the greatest margin of victory in 30 years.

1999 The CIP lost its majority in parliament in the general election. After vote recounts and accusations of poor administration, Henry resigned. A request for a new election was rejected. Joe Williams took over the premiership, but lost a motion of no confidence. Terepai Maoate of the Democratic Alliance Party (DAP) was appointed prime minister by parliament and formed a coalition government with the New Alliance Party (NAP).

2001 Frederik Goodwin (DAP) was appointed as representative of Queen Elizabeth II to the Cook Islands, replacing Sir Apenera Short.

2002 Maoate was ousted as prime minister by a no-confidence vote. Robert Woonton was appointed in his place.

2003 The DAP and the NAP merged into the Democratic Party (DP). On 17 January, the Reo Maori bill made Cook Islands Maori an official language of the country. In January, Terepai Maoate replaced Sir Geoffrey Henry as deputy prime minister;

Maoate left the government on 5 November after he tabled a motion of no confidence in the government. The motion was later dropped and Prime Minister Robert Woonton named Ngamau Munokoa as deputy prime minister.

2004 Prime Minister Robert Woonton's Democratic Party (DP) won the 7 September parliamentary elections. On 13 December, Queen's Representative Sir Fred Goodwin dissolved the Prime Minister's government after a recount found that the votes in the Prime Minister's constituency at the last general election were evenly split between him and a rival candidate. On 14 December, Jim Marurai was elected prime minister of a CIP government.

2005 In February, the Cook Islands came off the international money laundering blacklist, which it had been on for four years.

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