tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; struggling to recover from six years of civil conflict that ended in 2003, the Republic of the Congo's capacity to address trafficking is handicapped; the government neither monitors its borders for trafficking activity nor provides specialized anti-trafficking training for law enforcement officials; the government does not encourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations or prosecutions, and has not taken measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts in the Republic of the Congo (2008)
page last updated on January 12, 2011
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@Cook Islands (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Cook Islands
Background:
Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
Geography ::Cook Islands
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
21 14 S, 159 46 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 236 sq km country comparison to the world: 214 land: 236 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
120 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March
Terrain:
low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Te Manga 652 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 8.33%
other: 75% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
typhoons (November to March)
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography - note:
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
People ::Cook Islands
Population:
11,488 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 223
Age structure:
0–14 years: 27.1% (male 1,704/female 1,508)
15–64 years: 63.7% (male 3,898/female 3,664)
65 years and over: 9.2% (male 540/female 556) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.2 years
male: 30.5 years
female: 31.9 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
−3.256% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 231
Birth rate:
15.67 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Death rate:
7.22 deaths/1,000 population NA country comparison to the world: 127
Urbanization:
urban population: 74% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: −0.7% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.046 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 16.33 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 116 male: 19.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.47 years country comparison to the world: 94 male: 71.69 years
female: 77.38 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.43 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Cook Islander(s)
adjective: Cook Islander
Ethnic groups:
Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)
Religions:
Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%,
Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other
Protestant