COOK ISLANDS

internally self-governing island-state in free association with New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,000 miles (3,000 km) northeast of New Zealand, with a total land area of 91 square miles (236 square km). The population was estimated at 17,000 in 1990. The administrative centre is Avarua on Rarotonga. internally self-governing island state in free association with New Zealand, located in the South Pacific Ocean. The 15 tiny islands have a total land area of 91 square miles (236 square kilometres) but are spread over 770,000 square miles of sea. The capital is Avarua, on Rarotonga. Polynesians, mainly from the area now known as French Polynesia, were the only inhabitants of the Cook Islands until the 19th century. With only minor exceptions, each island was autonomous, and within each of the larger islands there were several competing tribal communities. Spanish explorers visited several islands in the northern group in the late 1500s and early 1600s but did not stay. Captain James Cook was the first European to call at most of the southern group, in 1773, 1774, and 1777. English and Tahitian missionaries of the London Missionary Society began arriving in 1821 and were the first foreigners to settle. They established a theological college on Rarotonga and exerted a strong influence on the form of government that evolved in each of the islands over the next half century. Fear of a French takeover, such as that which had occurred in nearby Tahiti and other islands of the Society Group, prompted some chiefs to petition the United Kingdom to declare a protectorate over the Cook Islands. The British government eventually complied in 1888, and a single federal parliament was established. This was the first time that these scattered islands had come under a united government. New Zealand was keen to annex the Cook Islands, but the United Kingdom would not agree to this except on certain conditions, one of which was that the request for annexation must come from the Cook Islands. With some New Zealand persuasion, chiefs of the largest islands petitioned for annexation, which was undertaken in 1901. After 1912 the federal parliament was allowed to lapse, and no direct representation at the national level occurred until 1946, when a Legislative Council was organized. In 1957 its powers were extended and its name changed to Legislative Assembly. In 1965 the Cook Islands moved to self-government but retained an associated-state relationship with New Zealand. Under this arrangement, the Cook Islands is a sovereign state, but New Zealand is responsible for defense, after consultation with the prime minister of the Cook Islands. Ronald G. Crocombe Marjorie Tuainekore Crocombe Additional reading Norman Douglas and Ngaire Douglas, Cook Islands, a Guide (1987), provides a general survey of the whole country; Ngatupuna Kautai et al., Atiu: An Island Community (1984), describes a particular island in greater depth. Richard Gilson, The Cook Islands, 18201950 (1980), is a historical survey; and Ron Crocombe (ed.), Cook Islands Politics: The Inside Story (1979), discusses political trends.