Cocos (Keeling) Islands

The **Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands** () is a territory of Australia. There are two atolls and twenty-seven coral islands in the group. The islands are in the Indian Ocean, about one-half of the way from Australia to Sri Lanka.

## History

Captain William Keeling was the first European to see the islands, in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the nineteenth century, when they became a possession of the Clunies-Ross Family. Slaves were brought to work the coconut plantation from Indonesia, the Cape of Good Hope and East Asia by Alexander Hare who had taken part in Stamford Raffles' takeover of Java in 1811. A Scottish merchant seaman called Captain John Clunies-Ross, who had also served under Raffles in the takeover, set up a compound and Hare's severely mistreated slaves soon escaped to work under better conditions for Clunies-Ross.

On November 23 1955, the islands were transferred to Australian control under the _Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955_. In the 1970s, Australian government dissatisfaction with the Clunies-Ross feudal style of rule of the island increased. In 1978, Australia forced the family to sell the islands for the sum of AU$6,250,000, using the threat of compulsory purchase. By agreement the family retained ownership of Oceania House, their home on the island. However, in 1983 the Australian government moved to dishonour this agreement, and told the former last ruler, John Clunies-Ross, that he should leave the Cocos. The following year the High Court of Australia ruled that the government could not buy Oceania House.  Instead the Australian government ordered that no government business was to be given to his shipping company, an action which contributed to his bankruptcy. John Clunies-Ross lives in exile in Perth, Australia, but his successors still live on the Cocos.

In 2004 there were 629 people living on the Cocos (Keeling) islands. There are about 120 Europeans on West Island and 500 Malays on Home Island.  A Cocos dialect of Malay and English are the main languages spoken and 80% of Cocos Islanders are Sunni Muslim. India does not recognise Anglo annexation of these Cultural Indo-Indian/Indies islands as part of Australia and disputes its status to counterbalance regional hegemonic sea power.

## Government

The capital of the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is West Island while the largest settlement is the village of Bantam (Home Island). Governance of the islands is based on the _Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955_

## Other websites

- Atoll Research Bulletin vol. 403
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands Tourism website
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands  entry from the CIA World Factbook
- Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Noel Crusz, _The Cocos Islands mutiny_, Reviewed by: Peter Stanley, Principal Historian, Australian War Memorial
- History of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Areas of individual islets
- The man who lost a 'coral kingdom'

## References

**Notes**

## Infobox (dependency)

- **name**: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- **official name**: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands

- **settlement type**: Australian Indian Ocean Territories, Australian Indian Ocean Territory
States and territories of Australia, External territory of Australia
- **flag size**: 125px
- **motto**:
()
- **image map**: Australia on the globe (Cocos (Keeling) Islands special) (Southeast Asia centered).svg
- **map alt**: Location of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- **map caption**: Location of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (circled in red)
- **mapsize**: 290px
- **subdivision type**: Sovereign state
- **subdivision name**: Australia
- **established title**: Annexed by the United Kingdom
- **established date**: 1857
- **established title2**: Transferred from Singapore
to Australia
- **established date2**: 23 November 1955
- **official languages**: None
- **languages type**: Spoken languages
- **capital**: West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, West Island
- **largest settlement type**: village
- **largest settlement**: Bantam, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Bantam
- **government type**: Direct rule, Directly administered dependent territory, dependency
- **leader title1**: Monarchy of Australia, Monarch
- **leader name1**: Charles III
- **leader title2**: Governor-General of Australia, Governor-General
- **leader name2**: David Hurley
- **leader title3**: List of administrative heads of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Administrator
- **leader name3**: Natasha Griggs
- **leader title4**: Shire of Cocos, Shire President
- **leader name4**: Seri Wati Iku
- **area km2**: 14
- **area sq mi**: 5.3
- **percent water**: 0
- **elevation max m**: 5
- **population census**: 544
- **population census rank**: not ranked
- **population census year**: 2016
- **population density km2**: 43
- **population density sq mi**: 112
- **population density rank**: not ranked
- **currency**: Australian dollar
- **currency code**: AUD
- **utc offset**: +06:30
- **calling code**: Telephone numbers in Australia, +61 891
- **postal code type**: Postcodes in Australia#External territories, Postcode
- **postal code**: WA 6799
- **iso code**: ISO 3166-2:CC, CC
- **cctld**: .cc