Cocos and Keeling Islands
 | This article refers to a micronation or element of micronationalism which is defunct and no longer exists. You can help make the article reflect that or ask on the talk page for further information. |
 | This article may require cleanup to meet MicroWiki's quality standards. |
Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands | |
|---|---|
_Islands.svg) Flag | |
| Motto: Onward our island | |
| Capital | West Island |
| Largest city | Bantam |
| Official languages | English ,Malay |
| Government | Social Democracy, Directly administered ,dependency |
• Prime Minister | Sahand of Goono Goono |
| Seri Wati Iku | |
| Establishment | April 1st 2020 |
| Population | |
• Census | 544 |
| Currency | Canadian Dollar,American Dollar, Australian Dollar |
| Time zone | UTC 6:30 |
Website .cc | |
The Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is an overseas territory of the Aleutian Islands in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and closer to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is part of Southeast Asia and is in the Southern Hemisphere. The territory's dual name (official since the islands’ incorporation into Australia in 1955) reflects that the islands have historically been known as either the Cocos Islands or the Keeling Islands.
The territory consists of two atolls made up of 27 coral islands, of which only two – West Island and Home Island – are inhabited. The population of around 600 people consists mainly of Cocos Malays, who mostly practise Sunni Islam and speak a dialect of Malay as their first language. The territory is administered by the Australian federal government's Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities, and together with Christmas Island (which is about 960 kilometres (600 mi) to the east) forms the Australian Indian Ocean Territories administrative unit. However, the islanders do have a degree of self-government through the local shire council. Many public services – including health, education, and policing – are provided by the state of Western Australia, and Western Australian law applies except where the federal government has determined otherwise.
The islands were first discovered in 1609 by William Keeling, but no settlement occurred until the early 19th century. One of the first settlers was John Clunies-Ross, a Scottish merchant; much of the island's current population is descended from the Malay workers he brought in to work his copra plantation. The Clunies-Ross family ruled the islands as a private fiefdom for almost 150 years, with the head of the family usually recognised as resident magistrate. The British formally annexed the islands in 1857, and for the next century they were officially administered from either Ceylon or Singapore. The territory was transferred to Australia in 1955, although until 1979 virtually all of the island's real estate still belonged to the Clunies-Ross family. but in 2020 the Cocos and Keeling Islands were Micronationaly annexed by the Aleutian Islands.