Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | Virgin Islands (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 23.8% (male 13,116; female 12,770)
15-64 years: 66% (male 33,944; female 37,870) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 4,855; female 6,220) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 2 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
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: 352 sq km
land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | twice 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. | During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. |
Birth rate | NA | 14.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $560
expenditures: NA (2003) |
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) |
Charlotte Amalie |
Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November |
Coastline | 26 km | 188 km |
Constitution | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies |
Currency | - | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | - | NA |
Dependency status | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of the US) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of the US) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | 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. | Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 957.9 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.03 billion kWh (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | lack of natural freshwater resources |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | black 78%, white 10%, other 12%
note: West Indian 81% (49% born in the Virgin Islands and 32% born elsewhere in the West Indies), US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 4%, other 2% |
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 George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2006) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4% |
Exports | $NA | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | copra | refined petroleum products |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | US, Puerto Rico |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 October - 30 September |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 1%
industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 2% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 18 20 N, 64 50 W |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean |
Highways | - | total: 856 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $NA | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | US, Puerto Rico |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA |
Industries | copra products and tourism | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 2.2% (2003) |
International organization participation | none | Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) |
Labor force | NA | 48,900 (2003 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 11.76%
permanent crops: 2.94% other: 85.29% (2001) |
Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | English (official), Spanish, Creole |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws | based on US 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) |
unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 78.75 years
male: 74.91 years female: 82.82 years (2004 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 | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | none |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | defense is the responsibility of the US |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
noun: Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes |
Natural resources | fish | sun, sand, sea, surf |
Net migration rate | NA | -8.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 108,775 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | -0.05% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | NA | 18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections |
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: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | 69,400 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | 41,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 2 (2002) |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land |
Total fertility rate | NA | 2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | 9.3% (2003 est.) |