Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | West Bank (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 42.9% (male 541,110/female 515,202)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 676,427/female 644,347) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 35,440/female 47,966) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 3 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 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: 5,860 sq km
land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967 |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Delaware |
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 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provided that Israel would retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifada that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA President in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning point in the conflict. Israel and the PA agreed in February 2005 to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues, in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has been slow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement by the two sides. |
Birth rate | NA | 31.67 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $964 million
expenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2004) |
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) |
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Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters |
Coastline | 26 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
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: none
conventional short form: West Bank |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $0; note - includes Gaza Strip (2002) |
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) | - |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | - |
Disputes - international | none | West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $1.14 billion; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004 est.) |
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 West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- has experienced a general decline in economic growth and a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities, due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally, stymied growth. |
Electricity - consumption | - | NA kWh |
Electricity - imports | - | NA kWh |
Electricity - production | - | NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (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 |
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Exports | $NA | $270 million f.o.b.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) |
Exports - commodities | copra | olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | - |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 9%
industry: 28% services: 63% note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 6.2% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 32 00 N, 35 15 E |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | $1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | food, consumer goods, construction materials |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | copra products and tourism | generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 19.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 7% (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | none | - |
Irrigated land | NA | 150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | - |
Labor force | NA | 614,000 (April-June 2005) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | agriculture: 18.4%
industry: 24% services: 57.6% (April-June 2005) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 16.9%
permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001) |
Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local 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) |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 73.27 years
male: 71.5 years female: 75.15 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.9% male: 96.3% female: 87.4% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka | Middle East, west of Jordan |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Middle East |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | - |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
noun: NA
adjective: NA |
Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | droughts |
Natural resources | fish | arable land |
Net migration rate | NA | 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | - |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 2,460,492
note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | 46% including Gaza Strip (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | 3.06% (2006 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 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: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | 357,300 (includes Gaza Strip) (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | 1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 8 (2005) |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east |
Total fertility rate | NA | 4.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | 19.9% (includes Gaza Strip) (January-September 2005) |