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Rarotonga(rärōtông`gä, rărətŏng`gə), formerly
Goodenough's Island,volcanic island (2006 pop. 15,153), 26 sq mi (67 sq km), South Pacific, capital of the Cook IslandsCook Islands,
island group (2015 est. pop. 17,000), 90 sq mi (234 sq km), S Pacific, SE of Samoa; a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. It consists of 15 small islands and is comprised of two main groups, the Southern (or Lower) Cook islands (Rarotonga,
..... Click the link for more information. . The most southwesterly of the group, it is also the largest, most important, and by far the most populous. Avarua is the administrative seat and chief town and port of Rarotonga. Citrus fruit, copra, and pearl shell are exported. Tourism is an important industry. Rarotonga was visited in 1823 by the English missionary John WilliamsWilliams, John,
1796–1839, English missionary, called the Apostle of Polynesia. Under the London Missionary Society he went (1817) to the Society Islands. He discovered Rarotonga in 1823 and founded missions there.
..... Click the link for more information. . The island was almost completely devastated by a hurricane in 1987.
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an island in the S Pacific, in the SW Cook Islands: the chief island of the group. Chief settlement: Avarua. Pop.: 12 188 (2001). Area: 67 sq. km (26 sq. miles)
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005