Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is an island group in the South Pacific, a nation now loosely associated with New Zealand.

Shortly after its annexation by Great Britain, the Cook Islands issued their first stamps in 1892. With its administration handed over to New Zealand, overprinted New Zealand stamps were put into use not long after that. In 1919, the country began using stamps overprinted or inscribed "Rarotonga", the name of the main island. This continued until 1931 when "Cook Islands" returned on the country's stamps. Some overprinted New Zealand issues continued to be released through the 1940s, for the Commonwealth omnibus issues and for postal-fiscal stamps. The country became self-governing in 1965.

The stamp issuing entities of Aitutaki and Penrhyn Island are part of the Cook Islands.

\ File:Cook IS KGV surch.jpg|New Zealand stamp surcharged for the Cook Islands (1919). File:Cook Is palm.jpg|Issue of 1920 inscribed "Rarotonga". File:Cook Is sea cuke.jpg|Sea cucumber (1992). 

See

 * Aitutaki
 * Penrhyn Island

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