Cocos (Keeling) Islands

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are an Australian external territory of coral islands in the Indian Ocean. West Island is the administrative centre; Home Island is home to the Cocos Malay community.

Find Cocos (Keeling) Islands

● Administrative centre · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers. These islands lie in the Indian Ocean and are grouped with Australia in the deck.

At a glance

Administrative centre: West Island
Languages: English & Cocos Malay
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Population: 5932021 Census · Australian Bureau of Statistics
Area: 14 km²5.41 square miles
Australian territory: 1955Islanders voted for integration with Australia in 1984.

Cocos (Keeling) Islands in context

Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks West Island; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Flat, low-lying coral atolls.

Languages

English is used in administration. Cocos Malay is widely spoken in the Home Island community.

Location

Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka.

Flag

A green field with a palm tree inside a gold disc near the upper hoist, a gold crescent at the centre and the Southern Cross in gold on the fly. This is the local Cocos (Keeling) Islands flag; the Australian flag is the national flag.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · ABS · 2021 Census · Geoscience Australia · Cocos (Keeling) Islands

History & status

Malay workers and European settlers established a plantation community on the islands in the nineteenth century. Britain annexed the islands in 1857. They became an Australian territory in 1955, and a UN-observed act of self-determination in 1984 resulted in a vote for integration with Australia. Home Island retains a distinctive Cocos Malay culture.

1857
Britain annexes the islands
1955
Administration transfers to Australia
1984
Islanders vote for integration with Australia

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · ABS · 2021 Census · Geoscience Australia · Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Economy

Main activities

Public services, transport, construction and small-scale tourism support the local economy. Coconut plantations were historically central, but copra production no longer defines the economy. Most consumer goods are imported, making freight costs and reliable links with mainland Australia important.

Industry and production

Government services, small-scale tourism, construction, transport and retail.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · ABS · 2021 Census · Geoscience Australia · Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Population

593 · 2021 Census · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · ABS · 2021 Census · Geoscience Australia · Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Government

An Australian external territory under Commonwealth authority. An Administrator represents the Australian Government, while the Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands provides local government services. Many state-type services are supplied through Western Australian arrangements.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · ABS · 2021 Census · Geoscience Australia · Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Knowledge check

Three questions about Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

In which year did this event occur in Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Islanders vote for integration with Australia?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · ABS · 2021 Census · Geoscience Australia · Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.