Compare Cook Islands (2005) - West Bank (2008)

Compare Cook Islands (2005) z West Bank (2008)

	Cook Islands (2005)	West Bank (2008)

Administrative divisions	none	-
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA	0-14 years: 42.4% (male 551,243/female 524,800) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 704,209/female 670,382) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 36,175/female 49,118) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry	olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Airports	9 (2004 est.)	3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
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: 240 sq km land: 240 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area - comparative	1.3 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Delaware
Background	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.	The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008.
Birth rate	NA	30.99 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $28 million expenditures: $27 million, including capital expenditures of $3.3 million (FY00/01 est.)	revenues: $1.149 billion expenditures: $2.31 billion note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)
Capital	Avarua	-
Climate	tropical; moderated by trade winds	temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline	120 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	4 August 1965	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands	conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank
Death rate	NA	3.85 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$141 million (1996 est.)	$NA
Dependency status	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 (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)	-
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)	-
Disputes - international	none	West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Economic aid - recipient	$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)	$1.4 billion; (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)
Economy - overview	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.	The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Authority (PA) - has experienced a general decline in economic conditions since the second intifada began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely a result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of closures and access restrictions in response to security concerns in Israel - which disrupted labor and trading relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. International aid of at least $1.14 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities - due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally - stymied growth. Israel's and the international community's financial embargo of the PA when HAMAS ran the PA during March 2006 - June 2007 has interrupted the provision of PA social services and the payment of PA salaries. Since June the Fayyad government in the West Bank has restarted salary payments and the provision of services but would be unable to operate absent high levels of international assistance.
Electricity - consumption	25.11 million kWh (2002)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	NA kWh
Electricity - production	27 million kWh (2002)	NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m	lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Environment - current issues	NA	adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
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)	Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Exchange rates	New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000)	new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)
Executive branch	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	$301 million f.o.b.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)
Exports - commodities	copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing	olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Exports - partners	Australia 34%, Japan 27%, New Zealand 25%, US 8% (2000)	Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	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.)	agriculture: 8% industry: 13% services: 79% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	7.1% (2001 est.)	-8% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates	21 14 S, 159 46 W	32 00 N, 35 15 E
Geography - note	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	landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.)
Highways	total: 320 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 287 km (2000)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	NA	$2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods	food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners	New Zealand 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2000)	Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)
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)	2.4% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)
Industries	fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts	generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	total: 18.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.2% (2000 est.)	3.6% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006)
International organization participation	ACP, AsDB, FAO, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO	-
Irrigated land	NA	150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)
Judicial branch	High Court	-
Labor force	8,000 (1996)	605,000 (2006)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 29%, industry 15%, services 56% note: shortage of skilled labor (1995)	agriculture: 18% industry: 15% services: 67% (2006)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Land use	arable land: 17.39% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 69.57% (2001)	arable land: 16.9% permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001)
Languages	English (official), Maori	Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Legal system	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	total population: 73.46 years male: 71.68 years female: 75.35 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.4% male: 96.7% female: 88% (2004 est.)
Location	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand	Middle East, west of Jordan
Map references	Oceania	Middle East
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin	none (landlocked)
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 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)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	NA
National holiday	Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)	-
Nationality	noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander	noun: NA adjective: NA
Natural hazards	typhoons (November to March)	droughts
Natural resources	NEGL	arable land
Net migration rate	-	2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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	21,388 (July 2005 est.)	2,535,927 note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	46% (2007 est.)
Population growth rate	NA	2.985% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Avatiu	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 0, FM 25, shortwave 0 (2008)
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)	Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Sex ratio	NA	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.736 male(s)/female total population: 1.038 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	NA years of age; universal adult	-
Telephone system	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)	general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 (2004)
Telephones - main lines in use	6,200 (2002)	349,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1,500 (2002)	1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)
Television broadcast stations	1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)	30 (2008)
Terrain	low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south	mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Total fertility rate	NA children born/woman (2005 est.)	4.17 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	13% (1996)	18.6% (2006)

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