Cook Islands Geography

The Cook Islands are located in the South Pacific Ocean, to the north-east of New Zealand. The closest neighbors of the country are Fiji and French Polynesia. All in all the Cooks consist of fifteen small islands, scattered in the ocean. There exists a definite subdivision - the Northern Cook Islands and the Southern Cook Islands. The group of Northern Cooks includes six old islands of Nassau, Manihiki, Pukapuka, Penrhyn Island, Rakahanga, and Suwarrow, while the Southern Cook Islands comprise of nine islands, preferably of volcanic origin (Aitutaki, Mangaia, Rarotonga, Mauke, Atiu, Manuae, Takutea, Mitiaro and Palmerston). The capital island of the Cook Islands is Rarotonga. A favorable maritime climate all year round has stimulated the development of the tourism of the Cook Islands.