Australian external territory
Date claimed 1955
Capital West Island
Population 670
Population density 48 per square km (134 per square mile)

 

 

 

 

 


DESCRIPTION

In all, 27 coral atolls make up the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, situated in the Indian Ocean, roughly halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka. The islands, since 1992, form part of the Australian northern Territory electoral district. The inhabited islands are West Island, which is European-dominated, and Home Island, a mainly Cocos Malay community. Coconuts are the sole cash crop and are grown throughout the atolls.