Compare Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)

Compare Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)

	Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006)	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of Australia)	-
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts	-
Airports	1 (2006)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)	-
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: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of 11 islands
Area - comparative	about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	slightly larger than Rhode Island
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 islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.
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)	-
Climate	tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Coastline	26 km	NA km
Constitution	Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992	-
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI
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	overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of Australia)	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	none	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force
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.	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Environment - current issues	fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs	NA
Ethnic groups	Europeans, Cocos Malays	-
Exchange rates	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)	-
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	-
Exports	$NA	-
Exports - commodities	copra	-
Exports - partners	Australia (2004)	-
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	-
Flag description	the flag of Australia is used	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)
Geographic coordinates	12 30 S, 96 50 E	54 30 S, 37 00 W
Geography - note	islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia
Imports	$NA	-
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs	-
Imports - partners	Australia (2004)	-
Independence	none (territory of Australia)	-
Industries	copra products and tourism	-
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	-
International organization participation	none	-
Irrigated land	NA	0 sq km
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	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)
Languages	Malay (Cocos dialect), English	-
Legal system	based upon the laws of Australia and local laws	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates 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)	-
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	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Map references	Southeast Asia	Antarctic Region
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 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 UK
National holiday	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)	-
Nationality	noun: Cocos Islander(s) adjective: Cocos Islander	-
Natural hazards	cyclone season is October to April	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism
Natural resources	fish	fish
Net migration rate	NA	-
Political parties and leaders	none	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	-
Population	574 (July 2006 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited
Population growth rate	0% (2006 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004)	0 (2003)
Religions	Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.)	-
Suffrage	NA	-
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: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Telephones - main lines in use	287 (1992)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	note - analog cellular service available	-
Television broadcast stations	NA	0 (2003)
Terrain	flat, low-lying coral atolls	most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Total fertility rate	NA	-
Unemployment rate	60% (2000 est.)	-

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