Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) - Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2005)

Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) z Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2005)

	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)	Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2005)

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 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	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	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	slightly larger than Rhode Island	about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Background	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.	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.
Birth rate	-	NA
Budget	-	revenues: NA expenditures: NA
Capital	-	West Island
Climate	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow	tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year
Coastline	NA km	26 km
Constitution	-	Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1953)
Country name	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI	conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Death rate	-	NA
Dependency status	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	territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international	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	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	NA
Economy - overview	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.	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: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Environment - current issues	NA	fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs
Ethnic groups	-	Europeans, Cocos Malays
Exchange rates	-	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Evan WILLIAMS (since 1 November 2003) 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
Fiscal year	-	1 July - 30 June
Flag description	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)	the flag of Australia is used
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - real growth rate	-	NA%
Geographic coordinates	54 30 S, 37 00 W	12 30 S, 96 50 E
Geography - note	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	islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation
Highways	-	total: 15 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (2003)
Imports	-	NA
Imports - commodities	-	foodstuffs
Imports - partners	-	Australia
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	NA sq km
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court
Labor force	-	NA
Labor force - by occupation	-	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% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)
Languages	-	Malay (Cocos dialect), English
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court	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 NA
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Location	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America	Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka
Map references	Antarctic Region	Southeast Asia
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 the UK	defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory does have a five-person police force
National holiday	-	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Nationality	-	noun: Cocos Islander(s) adjective: Cocos Islander
Natural hazards	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism	cyclone season is October to April
Natural resources	fish	fish
Net migration rate	-	NA
Political parties and leaders	-	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	none
Population	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	628 (July 2005 est.)
Population growth rate	-	0% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Port Refuge
Radio broadcast stations	0 (2003)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	-	Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.)
Suffrage	-	NA
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken	general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system domestic: NA international: country code - 61-891; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 satellite earth station of NA type (2002)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	287 (1992)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	note - analog cellular service available
Television broadcast stations	0 (2003)	NA
Terrain	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	flat, low-lying coral atolls
Total fertility rate	-	NA
Unemployment rate	-	60% (2000 est.)

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