The islands are named after the British navigator James Cook, who arrived in 1773 and 1777 and named the island of Manuae 'Hervey Island'; the name 'Hervey Islands' soon became applied to the southern group of the islands, until the entire group was renamed after Cook. The country later became a British protectorate in 1888 due to fear of France occupying the country like it did to Tahiti. On the 9th of October, 1900, the islands were annexed as British territory, with the chiefs and people signing seven instruments of cession of Rarotonga and other islands at the same time a British Proclamation was issued. The country was included within the boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand in 1901 by Order in Council under the 1895 Colonial Boundaries Act, and in June 11th, 1901, the boundary change became effective, with the Cook Islands having a formal relationship with New Zealand ever since. The country was a dependent territory of New Zealand until 1965, when the New Zealand Government decided to offer self-governing status to it. Albert Henry was elected as the first Premier, leading the country until he was accused of vote rigging and succeeded in 1978 by Tom Davis.
The Cook Islander flag
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Avarua
- Population: 17,459
- Area: 236.7 km
- Currency: New Zealand dollar ($) (NZD)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: CK