Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Background: Named after Captain Cook, who sighted them in 1770, the Cook 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. See also : Cook Islands This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.