Useful Notes / Cocos (Keeling) Islands

A small archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean southwest of Indonesia, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos (Keeling); Malay: Wilayah Kepulauan Cocos (Keeling)) are an Australian external territory in Southeast Asia. The territory goes by two names: the Cocos Islands and the Keeling Islands, hence why Keeling is in parenthesis in the middle of the name.

Of the 27 islands making up the territory, only West Island and Home Island are inhabited, with the former acting as the capital and the latter being the largest village. The population is a little over 500 people, most of whom are Cocos Malays who practice Sunni Islam and speak a dialect of Malay. They are descendants of two 19th century-era entourages of Malays (a harem of women and a group of male indentured servants) brought in by a pair of Europeans who wanted to turn the islands into a private residence.

The Cocos name comes from the abundant coconut trees on the islands, while Keeling name comes from Captain William Keeling of the East India Company, who discovered the territory in 1609. However, the British only formally annexed the islands in 1857. An important telegraph cable station was set up on Direction Island in 1901 which ceased operation in 1966, and a wireless station was also established to communicate with passing ships in 1910. One of the first naval battles of World War I, the Battle of the Cocos, also took place here on the 9th of November, 1914, between the Australian HMAS Sydney and German SMS Emden cruisers (With the Emdem being the last active Central Powers warship in the Indian or Pacific Ocean), with the Sydney winning out. The territory was later transferred to Australia on the 23rd of November, 1955.

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The Cocos (Keeling) Islander flag

This flag is flag is green, with a palm tree on a gold disc in the canton, a gold crescent in the center of the flag and a gold Southern Cross in the fly. The palm tree represents the islands' tropical flora, the colours are Australia's national colours, the crescent represents Islam, the religion of the Cocos Malays who make up a majority of the population, and the Southern Cross is a symbol of Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.

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Miscellaneous

• Capital: West Island
• Largest village: Bantam
• Population: 544
• Area: 14 km² (5.4 sq mi)
• Currency: Australian dollar ($) (AUD)
• ISO-3166-1 Code: CK