Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | Jersey (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | none (British crown dependency) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 8,292; female 7,744)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 30,178; female 30,410) 65 years and over: 15% (male 5,858; female 7,674) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 1 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island |
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | NA | 10.44 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: West Island
geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 55 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Saint Helier |
Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 26 km | 70 km |
Constitution | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | - | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | - | none |
Dependency status | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | none |
Economy - overview | Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. 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 tourist industry. | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. |
Electricity - imports | - | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | NA |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $NA | $NA |
Exports - commodities | copra | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | UK |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Highways | - | total: 577 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | $NA |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | UK |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | copra products and tourism | tourism, banking and finance, dairy |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 4.7% (1998) |
International organization participation | none | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | NA | 57,050 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: NEGL%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) |
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 78.93 years
male: 76.48 years female: 81.57 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | NA |
Natural resources | fish | arable land |
Net migration rate | NA | 2.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 90,156 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | 0.4% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | NA | NA years of age; universal adult |
Telephone system | general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system
domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | 65,500 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | 4,400 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | NA | 1.57 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | 0.7% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |