History of the Pacific Islands was the first European to sail through the islands and sighted Nui during his expedition in search of Terra Australis. European explorers did not return until two centuries later. In 1819 the island of Funafuti was named Ellice's Island; the name Ellice was applied to all nine islands after the work of English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay (1812–1876). The islands came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when each of the Ellice Islands was declared a British protectorate by Captain Gibson R.N., of HMS "Curacoa", between 9 and 16 October 1892. The Ellice Islands were administered
Telecommunications in the Cook Islands Pukapuka, Rakahanga, Manihiki 2 Village (Tukao, Tauhunu) and Penrhyn 2 villages (Omoka Tetautua). The Cook Islands uses the country calling code +682. There are six radio stations in the Cook Islands, with one reaching all islands. there were 14,000 radios. Cook Islands Television broadcasts from Rarotonga, providing a mix of local news and overseas-sourced programs. there were 4,000 television sets. There were 6,000 Internet users in 2009 and 3,562 Internet hosts as of 2012. The country code top-level domain for the Cook Islands is .ck. In June 2010, Telecom Cook Islands partnered with O3b Networks, Ltd. to provide faster Internet