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Location:
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Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
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Geographic coordinates:
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21 14 S, 159 46 W
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total: 236.7 sq km
land: 236.7 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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120 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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Climate:
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tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March
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Terrain:
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low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Te Manga 652 m
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Natural resources:
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NEGL
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Land use:
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arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 8.33%
other: 75% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Natural hazards:
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typhoons (November to March)
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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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
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