How Many Cook Islands Are There?
The Cook Islands are an archipelago situated in the Southern Pacific Ocean to the north east of New Zealand of which they are a sovereign part. The major islands of the archipelago are 15 in number namely Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, Mauke, Rarotonga, Manuae, Mitiaro, Takutea, Manihiki, Nassau, Palmerston, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rakahanga and Suwarrow occurring along with numerous small islets and atolls with a total land area of about 240 sq km. The extent of the Cook Islands covers more than 2 million sq km of the Pacific and the islands are grouped in to the Northern Cook Islands and the Southern Cook Islands with the entire chain of islands occurring between French Polynesia to the east and Fiji to the west. The Cook Islands are a well known tourist destination on account of the natural beauty and the vibrant and colorful local culture. The islands are believed to have been first inhabited in the 6th century AD by Polynesian people primarily from Tahiti. Europeans in the form of Spanish ex
