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The following information comes in part from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_Islands

The Cook Islands (Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani)^[6] is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. It comprises 15 islands whose total land area is 240 square kilometres (93 sq mi). The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 1,960,027 square kilometres (756,771 sq mi) of ocean.^[7]

New Zealand is responsible for the Cook Islands' defence and foreign affairs, but these responsibilities are exercised in consultation with the Cook Islands.^[8] In recent times, the Cook Islands have adopted an increasingly independent foreign policy.^[9] Cook Islanders are citizens of New Zealand, but they also have the status of Cook Islands nationals, which is not given to other New Zealand citizens. The Cook Islands has been an active member of the Pacific Community since 1980.

The Cook Islands' main population centres are on the island of Rarotonga (13,007 in 2016),^[10] where there is an international airport. There is also a larger population of Cook Islanders in New Zealand itself: in the 2013 census, 61,839 people said they were Cook Islanders, or of Cook Islands descent.^[11]

The Cook Islands are a combination of 15 islands (represented by the circle of stars in the flag) and atolls located in the middle of the South Pacific with Tonga to the west, and the Society Islands of French Polynesia to the east. The 15 islands are broken up into two groups:

The Northern Group: Manihiki, Nassau, Penryhn, Pukapuka, Rakahanga and Suwarrow. The Northern Group is the older of the two and is made up of sunken volcanoes that are now topped with coral. Suwarrow has the smallest population out of all the islands with only two resident caretakers.

The Southern Group: Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangala, Manuae, Mauke, Mitiaro, Palmerston, Rarotonga (the largest island and the capital) and Takutea. The Southern Group are considered “high” islands and they are of volcanic origin. The majority of the population of the Cook Islands live in the Southern Group, however both Takutea and Manuae are uninhabited.

The Cook Islands are located to the east of the International Date Line and are ten hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.

Cook Islanders regard themselves as true Polynesians, celebrating a heritage connecting directly back to the finest seafarers. Possessing navigation skills well beyond the times, the original settlers came from what is now known as French Polynesia, fearlessly crossing vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean in 800AD in search of new lands.

According to local legend, Maori explorers first arrived on Rarotonga around 500AD. Traveling across the South Pacific by canoe, they made their discovery of the islands by following migrating birds, as the long-tailed cuckoo travels between New Zealand and Polynesia every October. The great Polynesian migration began in 1500BC, when descendants of the Maori ancestors arrived by Vaka, guided by the stars.

The first written history of European exploration of the Cook Islands began in 1595, incited by the sighting of Pukapuka by the Spanish voyager Alvaro de Mendana. The islands were left relatively untouched until 1773, when the nations namesake Captain James Cook recorded a sighting of the island of Manuae. It was not until 4 years later that he came across the islands of Palmerston, Takutea, Mangaia and Atiu. Captain Bligh and his ship, the HMS Bounty, landed on Aitutaki in 1798, and soon after, following the very bloody Mutiny on the Bounty, the buccaneer Fletcher Christian, having seconded Captain Bligh’s very own boat, sailed into Rarotonga.

In 1821 came the arrival of Christianity, with an influence felt almost instantly. Although Christianity rapidly grew in popularity and has altered the traditional aspects of islander life, the people of the Cook Islands are proud of their Polynesian heritage and to this day celebrate their Polynesian roots and continue to practice their traditions.

In 1901, a declaration was made for New Zealand to annex the country despite opposition from the traditional chiefs. Many of the islands were independently ruled by local chiefs and with no federal statutory law to decide such things. New Zealand’s governing remained in place until 1965, when the Cook Islands essentially became an independent nation, adopting self-governing in free association with New Zealand which oversees defense.

Today the total population of the Cook Islands has grown to approximately 19,000, with the majority making the Southern Island of Rarotonga their home. Having said this, many Cook Islanders have chosen to live and study overseas, accounting for almost 50,000 islanders residing in New Zealand. Visitors to the Cook Islands are frequently enchanted by the locals’ charm, genuine warm hospitality and relaxed yet positive approach to life.