Geography of Cook Islands
| Location: | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
| Geographic coordinates: | 21 14 S, 159 46 W |
| Map references: | Oceania |
| Area: | total: 236.7 sq km land: 236.7 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 120 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Climate: | tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March |
| Terrain: | low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m |
| Natural resources: | NEGL |
| Land use: | arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 8.33% other: 75% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | NA |
| Natural hazards: | typhoons (November to March) |
| Environment - current issues: | NA |
| Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km |