Coral Sea Islands (2004) | Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (territory of Australia) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA |
Agriculture - products | - | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts |
Airports | - | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: less than 3 sq km
land: less than 3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most important |
total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island |
Area - comparative | NA | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | Scattered over some 1 million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis Islets. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs. | There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. From the 1820s to 1978, members of the CLUNIE-ROSS family controlled the islands and the copra produced from local coconuts. Annexed by the UK in 1857, the Cocos Islands 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. |
Birth rate | - | NA |
Budget | - | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
Capital | - | name: West Island
geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 50 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year |
Coastline | 3,095 km | 26 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: Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands |
conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
Death rate | - | NA |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | no economic activity | 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. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
Environment - current issues | no permanent fresh water resources | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs |
Ethnic groups | - | Europeans, Cocos Malays |
Exchange rates | - | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003) |
Executive branch | administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories | 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 (2006) |
Fiscal year | - | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | the flag of Australia is used |
Geographic coordinates | 18 00 S, 152 00 E | 12 30 S, 96 50 E |
Geography - note | important nesting area for birds and turtles | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation |
Imports | - | $NA |
Imports - commodities | - | foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | - | Australia (2006) |
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 | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 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 |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | - | Malay (Cocos dialect), English |
Legal system | the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply | 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) |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Literacy | - | NA |
Location | Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka |
Map references | Oceania | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force |
National holiday | - | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
Nationality | - | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
Natural hazards | occasional tropical cyclones | cyclone season is October to April |
Natural resources | NEGL | fish |
Net migration rate | - | NA |
Political parties and leaders | - | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | none |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological station (2004 est.) |
596 (July 2007 est.) |
Population growth rate | - | 0% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | - |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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 (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 287 (1992) |
Television broadcast stations | - | NA |
Terrain | sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays) | flat, low-lying coral atolls |
Total fertility rate | - | NA |
Unemployment rate | - | 60% (2000 est.) |