Statistical information Cocos Islands 2022

Cocos Islands in the World

Cocos Islands - Introduction 2022

British captain William KEELING discovered Cocos (Keeling) Islands in 1609, and they were named the Cocos Islands in 1622 for their coconut trees. Some maps began referring to them as the Keeling Islands in 1703. In 1825, Scottish trader John CLUNIES-ROSS was trying to get to Christmas Island but was blown off-course and landed on Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The next year, a British trader hired John’s brother to bring slaves and a harem of Malay women to create the first permanent settlement on the island. By the 1830s, the Clunies-Ross family had firmly established themselves as the leaders of the islands and they ruled Cocos (Keeling) Islands in a feudal style until 1978.
The UK annexed the islands in 1857 and administered them from Ceylon after 1878 and from Singapore after 1886. Cocos (Keeling) Islands hosted a cable relaying station and was attacked by the Germans in World War I. The Japanese similarly attacked the islands in World War II. The UK transferred the islands to Australia in 1955, which officially named the islands the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and in 1978, Australia bought all the land held by the Clunies-Ross family, ending their control of the islands’ governance. In a referendum in 1984, most islanders voted to integrate with Australia, and Western Australian laws have applied on the islands since 1992.

Cocos Islands - Geography 2022

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Location: Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka

Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 96 50 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 14 km²
Land: 14 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island
Comparative: about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 26 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year

Terrain: flat, low-lying coral atolls

Elevation
Highest point: South Point on South Island 9 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Other: 100% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: cyclone season is October to April

Geography
Note note1: there are 27 coral islands in the group; apart from North Keeling Island, which lies 30 km north of the main group, the islands form a horseshoe-shaped atoll surrounding a lagoon; North Keeling Island was declared a national park in 1995 and is administered by Parks Australia; 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 islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation

Cocos Islands - People 2022

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Population
Distribution: only Home Island and West Island are populated: 596 (July 2014 est.)
Growth rate: NA

Nationality
Noun: Cocos Islander(s)
Adjective: Cocos Islander

Ethnic groups: Europeans, Cocos Malays

Languages: Malay (Cocos dialect) 68.8%, English 22.3%, unspecified 8.9%; note - data represent language spoken at home (2016 est.)
Major language samples:

Buku Fakta Dunia, sumber yang diperlukan untuk maklumat asas. (Malay)
The Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 75%, Anglican 3.5%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, none 12.9%, unspecified 6.3% (2016 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: NA
15-24 years: NA
25-54 years: NA
55-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: NA
Youth dependency ratio: NA
Elderly dependency ratio: NA
Potential support ratio: NA

Median age

Population growth rate: NA

Birth rate: NA

Death rate: 8.89 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: NA

Population distribution: only Home Island and West Island are populated

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: freshwater resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs; illegal fishing a concern

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved:

urban: NA
rural: NA
total: NA

Unimproved:

urban: NA
rural: NA
total: NA

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Cocos Islands - Government 2022

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Country name
Conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Etymology: the name refers to the abundant coconut trees on the islands and to English Captain William KEELING, the first European to sight the islands in 1609

Government type: non-self-governing overseas territory of Australia

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)

Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (territory of Australia)

National holiday: Australia Day (commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of Australian settlers), 26 January (1788)

Constitution
History: 23 November 1955 (Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955)
Amendments: amended many times, last in 2020

Legal system: common law based on the Australian model

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see Australia

Suffrage: 18 years of age

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia General David HURLEY (since 1 July 2019)
Head of government: Acting Administrator Sarah VANDENBROEK (since 4 October 2022)
Cabinet: NA
Elections and appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Australian prime minister; administrator appointed by the governor general for a 2-year term and represents the monarch and Australia

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats; members directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms with 4 members renewed every 2 years)
Elections: last held on 16 October 2021 (next to be held in October 2023)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 4, women 3, percent of women 42.9%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: under the terms of the Territorial Law Reform Act 1992, Western Australia provides court services as needed for the island including the Supreme Court and subordinate courts (District Court, Magistrate Court, Family Court, Children's Court, and Coroners' Court)

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (territory of Australia)
From the us embassy: none (territory of Australia)

Flag description: the flag of Australia is used

National symbols

National anthem
Note: as a territory of Australia, "Advance Australia Fair" remains official as the national anthem, while "God Save the King" serves as the royal anthem (see Australia)

National heritage

Cocos Islands - Economy 2022

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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity: NA

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (2003)

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts

Industries: copra products, tourism

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force: NA
By occupation note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism is the other main source of employment

Labor force

Unemployment rate:

0.1% (2011)
60% (2000 est.)