The Cook Islands take their name from the British Captain James Cook, who arrived there the eighteenth century. They represent a parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. They are situated in the South Pacific Ocean, between French Polynesia and the American Samoa.

The Cook archipelago is divided into two groups, to make a total of 15 major islands: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands, consisting of coral atolls. The climate of the archipelago varies from moderate to tropical.

The capital is Avarua and there are different languages ​​spoken: English, Cook Islands Maori, also called Rarotongan by the name of one of the islands, and the Pukapukan. However, only the first two are the official languages ​​of the archipelago, but there are also numerous local dialects.