The Cook Islands are a castaway's dream. Among the most beautiful of all the Polynesian Islands, the archipelago's 15 islands lie flung between French Polynesia and Samoa. Translucent turquoise lagoons, volcanic peaks, and dazzling palm-fringed beaches recall the dramatic beauty of Tahiti, but with a more affordable price tag.
About 70% of the population of the Cook Islands belong to the Cook Islands Christian Church. The second largest group are Roman Catholics, estimated at the end of 1994 to have 3,086 adherents. The following traditions are also represented in the islands: Anglicans, the Assembly of God, the Baptist Church, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the Apostolic Church, the Baha'i faith and Jehovah's witnesses.
The politics of the Cook Islands, an associated state, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy within a constitutional monarchy. The Queen of New Zealand, represented in the Cook Islands by the Queen's Representative, is the Head of State; the Chief Minister is the head of government and of a multi-party system.