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Cook Islands

Australia and Oceania

Photos of Cook Islands

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The red crabs of Christmas Island live in deep burrows and rock crevices in the island’s rainforests. Once a year, during the rainy season, millions of the crabs migrate to the Indian Ocean to breed, covering the island in a blanket of red. On contact with the water, the crab larvae hatch and are swept out to sea. Those that survive emerge from the water as baby crabs and spend their first three years hidden in rocky outcrops.
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Contents

Introduction

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Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Definitions and Notes
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Geography

Area

comparison ranking: total 215

People and Society

Age structure

2024 population pyramid:
This is the population pyramid for the Cook Islands. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. <br/><br/>For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.

Median age

comparison ranking: total 53

Population growth rate

comparison ranking: 236

Birth rate

comparison ranking: 147

Death rate

comparison ranking: 48

Net migration rate

comparison ranking: 230

Maternal mortality ratio

comparison ranking: 196

Infant mortality rate

comparison ranking: total 95

Total fertility rate

comparison ranking: 104

Tobacco use

comparison ranking: total 44

Environment

Government

National coat of arms

The Cook Islands coat of arms was designed by Papa Motu Kora, a mataiapo (traditional chief) from the Matavera village in Rarotonga. The shield with a circle of 15 five-pointed white stars represents the protection of the people and the country. On each side of the shield is a flying fish (maroro) and a white tern (kakaia). A Rarotongan orator club above the fish represents local traditions, and a cross above the tern symbolizes Christianity. A red-feathered Ariki headdress (pare kura) at the top of the shield represents the country’s traditional ranking system.

Economy

Real GDP growth rate

comparison ranking: 3

Real GDP per capita

comparison ranking: 79

Energy

Communications

Transportation

Airports

comparison ranking: 162

Merchant marine

comparison ranking: total 70

Military and Security

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