Aitutaki Atoll

Aitutaki Atoll, one of the Cook Islands, a group of self-governing islands in the east central Pacific Ocean. Aitutaki Atoll consists of a number of volcanic and coral islets around a triangular lagoon, with a total land area of 18 sq km (6.9 sq mi). The island is a stopover point on the route by air from the Fiji Islands to the Society Islands. It lies at 18°52` south latitude and 159°46` west longitude, 230 km (140 miles) north of Rarotonga, the administrative center of the Cook Islands. The largest islet, called Aitutaki, is wooded and fertile, rising 140 m (450 ft) above the sea. Anchorage at the islets is offshore with a boat passage to the main settlement, Arutunga. The airstrip nearby was built by United States forces during World War II (1939-1945). The island’s citizens are Polynesians. Annexed by New Zealand in 1901, the Cook Islands were granted internal self-government in 1965. Population (1991) 2,366.