Western Sahara (2008) | Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | none (under de facto control of Morocco) | none (territory of Australia) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts |
Airports | 9 (2007) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007) |
total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
- |
Area | total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
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 | about the size of Colorado | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. | The islands were discovered in 1609, but 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 is split between the mostly Europeans on West Island and the Malays on Home Island. |
Birth rate | NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA births/1,000 population |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
West Island |
Climate | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew | pleasant, modified by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year; moderate rainfall |
Coastline | 1,110 km | 2.6 km |
Constitution | - | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
conventional long form:
Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
Currency | - | Australian dollar (AUD) |
Death rate | NA | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | $NA | $NA |
Dependency status | - | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none | none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none | none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $NA |
Economy - overview | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. | Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Copra and fresh coconuts are the major export earners. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. |
Electricity - consumption | 79.05 million kWh (2005) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - production | 85 million kWh (2005) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
Environment - current issues | sparse water and lack of arable land | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs |
Environment - international agreements | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | Arab, Berber | Europeans, Cocos Malays |
Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996) |
Executive branch | none | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator (non-resident) William Leonard TAYLOR (since 4 February 1999) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
Exports | 0 bbl/day (2004) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | phosphates 62% | copra |
Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | Australia |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | - | the flag of Australia is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 24 30 N, 13 00 W | 12 30 S, 96 50 E |
Geography - note | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas | two coral atolls thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation |
Highways | - | total:
15 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | 1,698 bbl/day (2004) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs | foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | Australia |
Independence | - | none (territory of Australia) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | phosphate mining, handicrafts | copra products and tourism |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
NA deaths/1,000 live births |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | NA% |
International organization participation | none | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court |
Labor force | 12,000 | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others |
Land boundaries | total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | English, Malay |
Legal system | - | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (NA seats) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population:
NA years male: NA years female: NA years |
Literacy | NA | - |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia, about one-half of the way from Australia to Sri Lanka |
Map references | Africa | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue | exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
National holiday | - | NA |
Nationality | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun:
Cocos Islander(s) adjective: Cocos Islander |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility | cyclones may occur in the early months of the year |
Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore | fish |
Net migration rate | - | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Political parties and leaders | - | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
Population | 382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.) |
633 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | NA | -0.21% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none; lagoon anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 300 (1992) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Muslim | Sunni Muslim 57%, Christian 22%, other 21% (1981 est.) |
Sex ratio | NA | - |
Suffrage | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed | NA |
Telephone system | general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 satellite earth station of NA type |
Telephones - main lines in use | about 2,000 (1999 est.) | NA (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | 0 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 0 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast | flat, low-lying coral atolls |
Total fertility rate | NA | NA children born/woman |
Unemployment rate | NA% | - |
Waterways | - | none |