The Cook Islands became the first Pacific island country to lodge its extended continental shelf claim, one of the biggest that will be submitted to the United Nations, the Cook Islands News reported on Tuesday.

Cook Islands Deputy Prime minister Terepai Maoate has successfully submitted the Cook Islands claim to Hariharan Pakshi Rajan, Secretary of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).

The handing over process took place in the United Nations headquarters with the CLCS team present.

Rajan said the Cook Islands, a small island nation with limited resources, was able to achieve the distinction of being the first regional island country to lodge its claim.

Rajan said the next step will be the uploading of the Cook Islands' executive summary onto the DOALOS Website for public viewing and commentary by interested parties.

A commission of 21 members and a final seven commission members will examine the Cook Islands claim and make recommendations.

This is a significant achievement for the Cook Islands as the country stands to gain over 400,000 square kms of continental shelf and what resources may lie on the seafloor.