5 facts about the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands rarely make the news, but, ahead of the 2012 Pacific Islands Forum this week the Cook Islands announced that it had declared the world’s largest marine reserve. Here’s a quick 101:

4. How did the Cook Islands get their name?

The Cook Islands were named after British Capt. James Cook, who sailed through them in 1773 and again in 1777.

He is said to have named them the “Hervey Islands,” for a British Lord. But  in the early 1800s the name "Cook Islands" showed up on a Russian naval chart and it stuck. 

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