Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | Palau (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 26.4% (male 2,768/female 2,601)
15-64 years: 69% (male 7,565/female 6,436) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 443/female 490) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 3 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
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: 458 sq km
land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly more than 2.5 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. | After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence. |
Birth rate | NA | 18.37 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $57.7 million
expenditures: $80.8 million, including capital expenditures of $17.1 million (FY98/99 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) |
Koror; note - a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror |
Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November |
Coastline | 26 km | 1,519 km |
Constitution | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | 1 January 1981 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
conventional long form: Republic of Palau
conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Palau District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 6.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $0 (FY99/00) |
Dependency status | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: US ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau
embassy: Koror (no street address) mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990 FAX: [680] 488-2911 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA
chancery: 1800 K Street NW, Suite 714, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam) |
Disputes - international | none | border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines, Indonesia |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $155.8 million ; note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities |
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 consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census) |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | the US dollar is used |
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: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. reelected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. 64%, Polycarp BASILIUS 33%; Elias Camsek CHIN elected vice president; percent of vote - Elias Camsek CHIN 70%, Sandra PIERANTOZZI 29% |
Exports | $NA | $18 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | copra | shellfish, tuna, copra, garments |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | US, Japan, Singapore (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 October - 30 September |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 1% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 7 30 N, 134 30 E |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands |
Highways | - | total: 61 km
paved: 36 km unpaved: 25 km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $NA | $99 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | US, Guam, Japan, Singapore, South Korea (2000) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA |
Industries | copra products and tourism | tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 14.84 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 3.4% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | none | ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO |
Irrigated land | NA | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas |
Labor force | NA | 9,845 (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | agriculture 20%, industry NA, services NA (1990) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 8.7%
permanent crops: 4.35% other: 86.95% (2001) |
Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census) |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws | based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws |
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) |
bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (four new members elected); House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 16 (one new member elected) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 70.14 years
male: 66.98 years female: 73.48 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92% male: 93% female: 90% (1980 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka | Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Constitution Day, 9 July (1979) |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
noun: Palauan(s)
adjective: Palauan |
Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | typhoons (June to December) |
Natural resources | fish | forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals |
Net migration rate | NA | 2.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 20,303 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | 1.39% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Koror |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2002) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | NA | 18 years of age; universal |
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: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | 6,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | 1,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 1 (cable) (2005) |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs |
Total fertility rate | NA | 2.46 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | 2.3% (2000 est.) |