Territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
External territory of ‌Australia




Capital	West Island

Status	External territory
Administrator
- From 2009	Brian Lacy

Legislature	Shire Council

History
- November 23, 1955	Established
- September 1, 1978	The land of Home Island acquired by Australia

Area	14 km²

Population
- 2009	596
Density	42.5/km²

Currency	Australian dollar

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The Territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is an external territory of Australia.

Background

There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. From the 1820s to 1978, members of the CLUNIES-ROSS family controlled the islands and the copra produced from local coconuts. Annexed by the UK in 1857, the Cocos Islands were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island.^[1]

Economy

Coconuts, grown throughout the islands, are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry.^[2]