Cook Islands 🇨🇰

The Cook Islands sits in Polynesia and is listed as a dependency rather than an independent state. The capital is Avarua.

Some 17,000 people call it home, placing it 226th of 250 by population — between Palau above it and Anguilla below. Within Polynesia alone it is the 5th largest of 10 and the 5th most populous.

Its territory runs to 236 km², which ranks it 221st of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Saint Pierre and Miquelon and just ahead of American Samoa. Put next to a territory most people can picture, it is around a fifth smaller than the Maldives.

Where the Cook Islands is and what surrounds it

Plotted on a globe it falls at 21.2° south, 159.8° west, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 2,364 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.

Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Namibia, Madagascar and Botswana — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.

There is no land frontier at all — every boundary it has is a coastline. That puts it among the 85 entries of 250 here with no land neighbours, which shapes how it trades and who it deals with.

People, population and language

Population divided by land area gives roughly 72 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.

2 languages carry official status: Cook Islands Māori and English. Cook Islands Māori is listed for no other entry in this dataset, which makes it effectively unique to the Cook Islands.

The demonym is Cook Islander, so residents are Cook Islanders.

Inside Oceania it places 18th of 27 by population, and it accounts for 2.5% of everyone living in Polynesia.

Money, internet and phone codes

More than one currency circulates: Cook Islands dollar (CKD) and New Zealand dollar (NZD). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to the Cook Islands.

If a quiz asks for the capital of the Cook Islands, the answer is Avarua.

Its internet country code is .ck. To phone it from abroad you dial +682. In ISO terms it is ck in two letters and COK in three.

The Cook Islands is not a UN member state. The dataset does not record which state administers it, so this page does not guess. Of the 250 entries here, 57 are territories or observers rather than member states.

Fun facts about Cook Islands

• People from the Cook Islands are known as Cook Islanders.
• In land area it is around a fifth smaller than the Maldives.
• It has no land border with any other country — one of 85 such entries in this dataset.
• Its capital city is Avarua.
• Namibia and Madagascar sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
• Cook Islands Māori is listed as an official language for no other entry in this dataset.

Cook Islands — frequently asked questions

What is the capital of the Cook Islands?

The capital of the Cook Islands is Avarua.

What currency does the Cook Islands use?

The Cook Islands uses the Cook Islands dollar, written $ (currency code CKD). No other entry in this dataset uses it.

Does the Cook Islands border any other country?

No. The Cook Islands has no land border with any other country, so every route in or out is by sea or air. 85 of the 250 entries on this site are in the same position.

What language is spoken in the Cook Islands?

The Cook Islands lists 2 official languages: Cook Islands Māori and English. Cook Islands Māori does not appear as an official language anywhere else in this dataset.

Where is the Cook Islands located?

The Cook Islands is in Polynesia, part of Oceania. Its reference coordinates are 21.2° south and 159.8° west, roughly 2,364 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.

What is the population of the Cook Islands?

The Cook Islands has a population of about 17,000, which makes it the 226th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Palau sits just above it and Anguilla just below.

How big is the Cook Islands?

The Cook Islands covers 236 km², ranking 221st of 250 by land area. That makes it around a fifth smaller than the Maldives.

Is the Cook Islands a country?

Not in the political sense. The Cook Islands is a dependent territory rather than a sovereign state, and it is not a UN member. It appears on this site because it has its own flag, codes and statistics, but it does not have a seat at the United Nations.