History of the Cook Islands History of the Cook Islands The Cook Islands are named after Captain James Cook, who visited the islands in 1773 and 1777. The Cook Islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, the islands were annexed as British territory. In 1901, the islands were included within the boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand. The Cook Islands contain 15 islands in the group spread over a vast area in the South Pacific. The majority of islands are low coral atolls in the Northern Group, with Rarotonga, a volcanic island in the Southern Group, as the main administration and government
Flag of the British Virgin Islands either registered in the British Virgin Islands or by vessels visiting the British Virgin Islands. The flag was authorised in 2001 and Section 70 of the British Virgin Islands Merchant Shipping Act, 2001 reads: The blue ensign shall only be used on vessels which belong to or are in the service of the government. The Governor of the British Virgin Islands has a separate flag (also seen below), a Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms. This design is similar to flags of the other Governors in British overseas territories. The gubernatorial flag is for use at Government House