Geography |
The Cook Islands lie in the South Pacific Ocean, about 2 900 km north-east of New Zealand and about 4500 km south of Hawaii. The Cook Islands group has close cultural ties to Tahiti 1000 km to the east. The 15 islands of the Cook group are spread over 2 200 000 km2 of ocean (1 400 km from north to south, about 700 km east to west), but they only have a total land area of about 230 km2. The main islands are Rarotonga (with an area of 67 km2, the largest), Mangaia, Atiu, Aitutaki, and Mauke.
The northern islands are atolls (ring-shaped coral islands) while the southern islands, except for two small atolls, are of volcanic origin. Te Manga on Rarotonga is the highest peak at 652 m.
The climate is tropical and mild, with constant high humidity and a mean annual temperature of 24° C on Rarotonga. The islands are subject to occasional but destructive cyclones.
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