| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Hervey Islands etymology: named after Captain James COOK, the British explorer who visited the islands in 1773 and 1777 |
| Dependency status | self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense in consultation with the Cook Islands |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital | name: Avarua geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: translates as "two harbors" in Maori |
| Administrative divisions | none |
| Independence | none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 with the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action) |
| National holiday | Constitution Day, the first Monday in August (1965) |
| Constitution | history: 4 August 1965 (Cook Islands Constitution Act 1964) amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Parliament membership in each of several readings and assent of the chief of state’s representative; passage of amendments relating to the chief of state also requires two-thirds majority approval in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2004 |
| Legal system | common law similar to New Zealand common law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration (New Zealand normally retains responsibility for external affairs); accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Sir Tom J. MARSTERS (since 9 August 2013); New Zealand Acting High Commissioner Ms Rachel BENNETT (since 9 December 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Mark BROWN (since 1 October 2020) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; UK representative appointed by the monarch; New Zealand high commissioner appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes prime minister |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Parliament, formerly the Legislative Assembly (24 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms); note - the House of Ariki, a 24-member parliamentary body of traditional leaders appointed by the Queen's representative serves as a consultative body to the Parliament elections: last held on 14 June 2018 (next to be held by 2022) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Demo 11, CIP 10, One Cook Islands Movement 1, independent 2; composition - men 15, women 9, percent of women 37.5% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and 3 judges of the High Court); High Court (consists of the chief justice and at least 4 judges and organized into civil, criminal, and land divisions); note - appeals beyond the Cook Islands Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) judge selection and term of office: High Court chief justice appointed by the Queen's Representative on the advice of the Executive Council tendered by the prime minister; other judges appointed by the Queen's Representative, on the advice of the Executive Council tendered by the chief justice, High Court chief justice, and the minister of justice; chief justice and judges appointed for 3-year renewable terms subordinate courts: justices of the peace |
| Political parties and leaders | Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA] Democratic Party or Demo [Tina BROWNE] One Cook Islands Movement [Teina BISHOP] |
| International organization participation | ACP, ADB, AOSIS, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IMO, IMSO, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) |
| Flag description | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag |
| National symbol(s) | a circle of 15, five-pointed, white stars on a blue field, Tiare maori (Gardenia taitensis) flower; national colors: green, white |
| National anthem | name: "Te Atua Mou E" (To God Almighty) lyrics/music: Tepaeru Te RITO/Thomas DAVIS note: adopted 1982; as prime minister, Sir Thomas DAVIS composed the anthem; his wife, a tribal chief, wrote the lyrics |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
