The Cook Islands comprise 15 islands split between two island groups, which have carried individual names in indigenous languages including Cook Islands Māori and Pukapukan throughout the time they have been inhabited. The first name given by Europeans was Gente Hermosa (beautiful people) by Spanish explorers to Rakahanga in 1606.

The Cook Islands were named in honor of the great British maritime explorer – Captain James Cook – who sailed through and mapped the South Pacific on several voyages. The irony is that the Cook Islands are among the few which Captain Cook never actually set foot on. He only sailed through the area in the late 18th century without anchoring anywhere to check out the local scene. In fact, Cook actually named the island group the “Hervey Islands”.

The archipelago champions the eco-friendly movement. The law mandates that no building in the islands should be taller than a coconut tree and there are no Fast-food chains on the islands.

Marae Moana is a multiple-use marine park which extends over the entire Exclusive Economic Zone of the Cook Islands, an area of 1.9 million square kilometres. It is currently the largest commitment by a single country for integrated management and conservation from ridge to reef and from reef to ocean. Marae Moana was legally designated on 12th July 2017 by the Marae Moana Act 2017 which has the primary purpose of protecting and conserving the” ecological, biodiversity and heritage values of the Cook Islands marine environment.”