Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | Saint Martin (2007) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | - |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 1 |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 |
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: 54.4 sq km
land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | more than one-third 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. | Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity. |
Birth rate | NA | - |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
- |
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) |
name: Marigot
geographical coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour |
Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season |
Coastline | 26 km | 58.9 km (for entire island) |
Constitution | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin
conventional short form: Saint Martin local long form: Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin local short form: Saint-Martin |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | - |
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) | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | none | - |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | - |
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 of Saint Martin centers around tourism with 85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States. Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) |
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 Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007)
head of government: President of the Territorial Council Louis-Constant FLEMING (since 16 July 2007) cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory economic, social, and cultural council election: French president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: Louis-Constant FLEMING unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007 |
Exports | $NA | - |
Exports - commodities | copra | - |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | - |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | - |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | the flag of France is used |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 18 05 N, 63 57 W |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten |
Imports | $NA | - |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | crude petroleum, food, manufactured items |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | US, Mexico (2006) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
Industries | copra products and tourism | tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
- |
International organization participation | none | UPU |
Irrigated land | NA | - |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | - |
Labor force | NA | - |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | 85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 15 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
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Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles) |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws | the laws of France, where applicable, apply |
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 Territorial Council (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%, Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir Saint-Martin 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
- |
Literacy | NA | - |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka | island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | defense is the responsibility of France |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848) |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
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Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | - |
Natural resources | fish | salt |
Net migration rate | NA | - |
Political parties and leaders | none | Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis Constant FLEMING]; Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]; Reussir Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | - |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 33,102 (October 2004 census) |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | FM 3 (2007) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu |
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: fully integrated access
domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Gudaloupe |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | - |
Television broadcast stations | NA | - |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | - |
Total fertility rate | NA | - |
Transportation - note | - | nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | - |