LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Cook Islands: South Pacific
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The Cook Islands are a stunning necklace of islands in the sun and many believe they are the jewel in the crown of the South Pacific island groups. The culture, traditions, arts and crafts are distinct from all others in the Pacific. Nowhere else will you feel so naturally at one with the island way of life. And how cool is a government that legislates that no building can be higher than the tallest coconut palm?
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The nation of the Cook Islands (Figure 1) is comprised of 14 islands and atolls that are divided into two distinct island groups, the northern and southern groups. The islands lie between 8º and 23º S latitude and 156º to 167º W longitude. The 2002 mid-year population estimate for the Cook Islands is 17,900 people (SPC 2003).
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The Coming of the Kiwis -- It was almost inevitable that the Cook Islands would be caught up in a wave of colonial expansion that swept across the South Pacific in the late 1800s. The French, who had established Tahiti as a protectorate, wanted to expand their influence west, and in 1888 they sent a warship to Manihiki in what is now the Northern Group of the Cooks. Although the British had made no claim to the islands, locals quickly sewed together a Union Jack and ran it up a pole. The French ship turned away. Shortly thereafter the British declared a protectorate over the Cook Islands, and the Union Jack went up officially.
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The development and management of the marine resources within the Cook Islands falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Marine Resources. The Ministry of Marine Resources was established by the Ministry of Marine Resources Act 1984. The Ministry of Marine Resources works under the Marine Resources Act 1989 (Anon 1989), which establishes a comprehensive framework for fisheries management. The Marine Resources Act 1989 is being reviewed and updated to include conservation and social issues as well as ensuring that the Cook Islands can meet international requirements as a result of future regional management of the tuna resource in the central and western Pacific.
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The Cook Islands are becoming a popular holiday destination in the Pacific. Yet not crowded or having mass-tourism, there are good tourist facilities, landscapes are very attractive and prices are very reasonable. The population is Polynesian in origin, so there is typical South Seas hula and flower-lei traditions.
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The 13th edition of the reality series strands 20 people on the Cook Islands in the Pacific to vie for the $1 million grand prize. Initially, the castaways are divided into four ethnically diverse groups (African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, white). Also, at least one player per episode is banished to a separate island to live alone, but on Exile Island there is a hidden immunity idol that, if found, can save a person from being voted out at tribal council.
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