The string of emerald isles known as the Cook Islands is close to—nowhere. The islands are spread over 850,000 square miles of ocean in the middle of the South Pacific, with Tonga to the west and Tahiti to the east. The feeling of being somewhere deliciously remote is a large part of the appeal of these sparsely inhabited islands. The 15 largest islands are split into two main groups, one in the north and one in the south. The southern group is made up of nine islands mainly of volcanic origin, although some, like Aitutaki, more closely resemble atolls. The majority of the population lives here, especially on the capital of Rarotonga. The northern group comprises six true atolls.