Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2004) - Cook Islands (2005)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2004) z Cook Islands (2005)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)	Cook Islands (2005)

Administrative divisions	-	none
Age structure	-	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products	-	copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry
Airports	1 (2003 est.)	9 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago	total: 240 sq km land: 240 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.	Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
Birth rate	-	NA
Budget	-	revenues: $28 million expenditures: $27 million, including capital expenditures of $3.3 million (FY00/01 est.)
Capital	-	Avarua
Climate	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	tropical; moderated by trade winds
Coastline	698 km	120 km
Constitution	-	4 August 1965
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands
Death rate	-	NA
Debt - external	-	$141 million (1996 est.)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London	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
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Disputes - international	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricted access to the largest island in the chain	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)
Economy - overview	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.	Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	25.11 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	27 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m
Environment - current issues	NA	NA
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)
Exchange rates	-	New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Charles A. HAMILTON (since 2002); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner Kurt MEYER (since July 2001), representative of New Zealand head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister
Exports	-	NA
Exports - commodities	-	copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing
Exports - partners	-	Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2000)
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag	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
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 17% industry: 7.8% services: 75.2% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	7.1% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E	21 14 S, 159 46 W
Geography - note	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility	the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles where most of the populace lives
Highways	total: NA km paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km	total: 320 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 287 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	-	NA
Imports - commodities	-	foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods
Imports - partners	-	New Zealand 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2000)
Independence	-	none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action)
Industrial production growth rate	-	1% (2002)
Industries	-	fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate	-	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	3.2% (2000 est.)
International organization participation	-	ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	NA
Judicial branch	-	High Court
Labor force	-	8,000 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 29%, industry 15%, services 56% note: shortage of skilled labor (1995)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)	arable land: 17.39% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 69.57% (2001)
Languages	-	English (official), Maori
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	based on New Zealand law and English common law
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Parliament (25 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7 September 2004 (next to be held by 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CIP 10, DAP 9, Demo Tumu 4, independent 1; note - one seat undecided pending by-election note: the House of Ariki (chiefs) advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	-	definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references	Political Map of the World	Oceania
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine	-	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,074 GRT/7,520 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1 (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
Military branches	-	no regular military forces; Ministry of Police and Disaster Management (2004)
National holiday	-	Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)
Nationality	-	noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander
Natural hazards	NA	typhoons (November to March)
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	NEGL
Political parties and leaders	-	Cook Islands People's Party or CIP [Geoffrey HENRY]; Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Terepai MAOATE]; New Alliance Party or NAP [Norman GEORGE]; Cook Islands National Party or CIN [Teariki HEATHER]; Demo Party Tumu [Robert WOONTON]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s, in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2004 est.)	21,388 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	-	NA
Ports and harbors	Diego Garcia	Avatiu
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	-	Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%, Seventh Day Saint 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census)
Sex ratio	-	NA
Suffrage	-	NA years of age; universal adult
Telephone system	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)	general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	6,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	1,500 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)	low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Total fertility rate	-	NA children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	13% (1996)

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