|RNature and climate:|N 27 small coral islands in two separate atolls about 2800 km northwest of Perth in Australia and 2300 km southeast of Colombo at Sri Lanka.
The islands are low and densely covered by coconut palms. They surround a lagoon where ships drawing 7 metres may anchor, but the navigation is extremely difficult.
Average temperature varies between 20 and 31°C.
Percipitation 2000 mm.
|RPeople:|N Some European descendants, but mainly of Malayan descent.
|REconomy:|N Copra and fishing.
|RHistory:|N These uninhabited islands were discovered by William Keeling in 1609, and remained uninhabited until 1826. In 1831 a Scottish sailor, John Clunies-Ross, settled on the main island and started a commercial development of the coconut palms..
In 1857 the islands were annexed by the British crown but in 1886 Queen Victoria granted all land of the islands to the Clunies-Ross family.
In 1955 the islands came under Australian authority and in 1978 the Australian government bought the Clunies-Ross family's entire interests in the islands, except for the family residence, and in 1979 the Cocos (Keeling) Islands council was established to advise the administrator on all issues affecting the islands.
