The Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia. There are 27 coral islands in the group. The islands are located in the Indian Ocean, about one-half of the way from Australia to Sri Lanka (12 30 S, 96 50 E).

Contents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Government 5 Economy 6 External links

History

Captain William Keeling discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century, when they became a possession of the Clunies-Ross family. The islands were brought under the British Empire in 1857 and were transferred to Australia on November 23, 1955. In 1978 Australia caused a form of purchase of the islands from the Clunies-Ross family and subsequently manufactured an identity for locals to whom it gave a degree of autonomy.

Geography

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands consist of two flat, low-lying coral atolls with an area of 14 km², 2.6 km of coastline, a highest elevation of five metres and thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation. The climate is pleasant, modified by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year and with moderate rainfall. Cyclones may occur in the early months of the year.

The only natural resource is fish and no agriculture exists on the island. Fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs

There is a Cocos Island (Isla del Coco) in the Pacific Ocean belonging to Costa Rica which should not be confused with these Cocos Islands.

Demographics

As of 2004, there are 629 inhabitants of the Cocos (Keeling) islands. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. A Cocos dialect of Malay and English are the main languages spoken and 80% of Cocos Islanders are Sunni Muslim.

Government

The capital of the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is West Island . Some sources say that the capital is a small settlement named Bantam which is located on West Island. Governance of the islands is based on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 and depends heavily on the laws of Australia. The islands are administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories , with a non-resident administrator (currently William Taylor) appointed by the Governor-General. There also exists a unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council with seven seats. Elections are held every two years with half the members standing for election. Federally, Cocos (Keeling) Islanders form part of the electorate of the Northern Territory.

While the islands' defence is the responsibility of Australia, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands do have a five-person police force.

Economy

Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Copra and fresh coconuts are the major export earners. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small but growing tourist industry.

The Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage worker operations. Tourism employs others.

The islands are connected within Australia's telecommunication system. The internet TLD is .cc. There is one paved airport and a lagoon anchorage.

External links

• Cocos (Keeling) Islands Tourism website