The Cook Islands consist of fifteen small islands that have a total area of 92.7 square miles. The island of Rarotonga is where the main population lives due to the international airport. The North Island, New Zealand consists of a large population in the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands are in the north-east of New Zealand, between French Polynesia and American Samoa. The fifteen islands are divided into two distinct groups called the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands of coral atolls. Citizens of the Cook Islands have status of Cook Island Nationals even though they are citizens of New Zealand.
The Cook Islands contain a self governing parliamentary democracy which is affiliated with New Zealand. The Cook Islands get a lot of visitors every year totaling over one hundred thousand visitors a year. The main industry of these islands therefore is tourism. Tourism is what helps the economy thrive as well.