TheCocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay:Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), officially theTerritory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (/ˈkoʊkəs/;[5][6] Cocos Islands Malay:Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), are anAustralian external territory in theIndian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway betweenAustralia andSri Lanka and relatively close to the Indonesian island ofSumatra. The territory'sdual name (official since the islands' incorporation into Australia in 1955) reflects that the islands have historically been known as either theCocos Islands or theKeeling Islands.
The islands were discovered in 1609 by the British sea captainWilliam 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 hiscopra plantation. TheClunies-Ross family ruled the islands as a private fiefdom for almost 150 years, with the head of the family usually recognised asresident magistrate. The British annexed the islands in 1857, and for the next century they were administered from eitherCeylon orSingapore. The territory was transferred to Australia in 1955, although until 1979 virtually all of the territory'sreal estate still belonged to theClunies-Ross family.
The islands have been called theCocos Islands (from 1622), theKeeling Islands (from 1703), theCocos–Keeling Islands (sinceJames Horsburgh in 1805) and theKeeling–Cocos Islands (19th century).[8]Cocos refers to the abundantcoconut trees, whileKeeling refers toWilliam Keeling, who discovered the islands in 1609.[8]
An Act to enable Her Majesty to place the Cocos or Keeling Islands under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia, and for purposes connected therewith.
John Clunies-Ross,[9] who sailed there in theBorneo in 1825, called the group theBorneo Coral Isles, restrictingKeeling toNorth Keeling, and calling South Keeling "the Cocos properly so called".[10][11] The formCocos (Keeling) Islands, attested from 1916,[12] was made official by theCocos Islands Act 1955 (3 & 4 Eliz. 2. c. 5).[8][failed verification]
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands consist of two flat, low-lying coral atolls with an area of 14.2 square kilometres (5.5 sq mi), 26 kilometres (16 mi) of coastline, a highest elevation of 5 metres (16 ft) and thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation. The climate is pleasant, moderated by the southeasttrade winds for about nine months of the year and with moderate rainfall.Tropical cyclones may occur in the early months of the year.
North Keeling Island is an atoll consisting of just one C-shaped island, a nearly closed atoll ring with a small opening into the lagoon, about 50 metres (160 ft) wide, on the east side. The island measures 1.1 square kilometres (270 acres) in land area and is uninhabited. The lagoon is about 0.5 square kilometres (120 acres). North Keeling Island and the surrounding sea to 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from shore form thePulu Keeling National Park, established on 12 December 1995. It is home to the only surviving population of the endemic, and endangered,Cocos Buff-banded Rail.
South Keeling Islands is an atoll consisting of 24 individual islets forming an incomplete atoll ring, with a total land area of 13.1 square kilometres (5.1 sq mi). OnlyHome Island andWest Island are populated.[13] The Cocos Malays maintain weekend shacks, referred to as pondoks, on most of the larger islands.
Cocos (Keeling) Islands1889 map of South Keeling Islands1976 map of South Keeling Islands
Islets forming the South Keeling Islands atoll (clockwise from north)
There are no rivers or lakes on either atoll. Fresh water resources are limited towater lenses on the larger islands, underground accumulations of rainwater lying above the seawater. These lenses are accessed through shallow bores or wells.
Reefs near the islands have healthycoral and are home to several rare species of marine life. The region, along with the Christmas Island reefs, have been described as "Australia'sGalapagos Islands".[14]
In the 2021 budget the Australian Government committed $A39.1M to create two new marine parks off Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The parks will cover up to 740,000 square kilometres (290,000 sq mi) of Australian waters.[15] After months of consultation with local people, both parks were approved in March 2022, with a total coverage of 744,000 square kilometres (287,000 sq mi). The park will help to protect spawning ofbluefin tuna from illegal international fishers, but local people will be allowed to practise fishing sustainably inshore in order to source food.[14]
Cocos (Keeling) Islands experience atropical rainforest climate (Af) according to theKöppen climate classification; the archipelago lies approximately midway between theequator and theTropic of Capricorn. The archipelago has two distinct seasons, the wet season and the dry season. The wettest month is April with precipitation totaling 262.6 millimetres (10.34 in), and the driest month is October with precipitation totaling 88.2 millimetres (3.47 in). Due to the strong maritime control, temperatures vary little although its location is some distance from theEquator. The hottest month is March with an average high temperature of 30.0 °C (86.0 °F), while the coolest month is September with an average low temperature of 24.2 °C (75.6 °F).
Climate data for Cocos Islands Airport (averages 1991–2020; extremes 1952–present)
In 1825, Scottish merchant seaman CaptainJohn Clunies-Ross stopped briefly at the islands on a trip to India, nailing up aUnion Jack and planning to return and settle on the islands with his family in the future.[19] Wealthy EnglishmanAlexander Hare had similar plans, and hired a captain – coincidentally, Clunies-Ross's brother – to bring him and a volunteerharem of 40Malay women to the islands, where he hoped to establish his private residence.[20] Hare had previously served as resident ofBanjarmasin, a town inBorneo, and found that "he could not confine himself to the tame life that civilisation affords".[20]
Clunies-Ross returned two years later with his wife, children and mother-in-law, and found Hare already established on the island and living with the private harem. A feud grew between the two.[20] Clunies-Ross's eight sailors "began at once the invasion of the new kingdom to take possession of it, women and all".[20]
After some time, Hare's women began deserting him, and instead finding themselves partners amongst Clunies-Ross's sailors.[21] Disheartened, Hare left the island. He died inBencoolen in 1834.[22] Encouraged by members of the former harem, Clunies-Ross then recruited Malays to come to the island for work and wives.
Clunies-Ross's workers were paid in a currency called the Cocos rupee, a currency John Clunies-Ross minted himself that could only be redeemed at the company store.[23]
1840 chart of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
On 1 April 1836,HMS Beagle under CaptainRobert FitzRoy arrived to take soundings to establish the profile of the atoll as part of thesurvey expedition of theBeagle. To the naturalistCharles Darwin, aboard the ship, the results supported a theory he had developed of how atolls formed, which he later published asThe Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs. He studied the natural history of the islands and collected specimens.[24] Darwin's assistantSyms Covington noted that "an Englishman [he was in fact Scottish] and HIS family, with about sixty or seventymulattos from theCape of Good Hope, live on one of the islands. Captain Ross, the governor, is now absent at the Cape."
The islands were annexed by the British Empire in 1857.[25] This annexation was carried out by CaptainStephen Grenville Fremantle in command ofHMS Juno. Fremantle claimed the islands for the British Empire and appointedRoss II as Superintendent.[26] In 1878, byLetters Patent, the Governor ofCeylon was made Governor of the islands, and, by further Letters Patent in 1886,[27] responsibility for the islands was transferred to the Governor of theStraits Settlement to exercise his functions as "Governor of Cocos Islands".[25]
The islands were made part of the Straits Settlement under an Order in Council of 20 May 1903.[28] Meanwhile, in 1886Queen Victoria had, by indenture, granted the islands in perpetuity to John Clunies-Ross.[29] The head of the family enjoyed semi-official status asResident Magistrate and Government representative.[29]
In 1901 atelegraph cable station was established on Direction Island. Undersea cables went toRodrigues,Mauritius,Batavia,Java andFremantle,Western Australia. In 1910 a wireless station was established to communicate with passing ships. The cable station ceased operation in 1966.[30]
On the morning of 9 November 1914, the islands became the site of theBattle of Cocos, one of the first naval battles ofWorld War I. A landing party from the German cruiserSMS Emden captured and disabled the wireless and cable communications station onDirection Island, but not before the station was able to transmit a distress call. An Allied troop convoy was passing nearby, and the Australian cruiserHMAS Sydney was detached from the convoy escort to investigate.
Sydney spotted the island andEmden at 09:15, with both ships preparing for combat. At 11:20, the heavily damagedEmden beached herself onNorth Keeling Island. The Australian warship broke to pursueEmden's supportingcollier, which scuttled herself, then returned to North Keeling Island at 16:00. At this point,Emden'sbattle ensign was still flying: usually a sign that a ship intends to continue fighting. After no response to instructions to lower the ensign, two salvoes were shot into the beached cruiser, after which the Germans lowered the flag and raised awhite sheet.Sydney had orders to ascertain the status of the transmission station, but returned the next day to provide medical assistance to the Germans.
Casualties totaled 134 personnel aboardEmden killed, and 69 wounded, compared to four killed and 16 wounded aboardSydney. The German survivors were taken aboard the Australian cruiser, which caught up to the troop convoy inColombo on 15 November, then transported toMalta and handed over the prisoners to theBritish Army. An additional 50 German personnel from the shore party, unable to be recovered beforeSydney arrived, commandeered a schooner and escaped from Direction Island, eventually arriving inConstantinople.Emden was the last activeCentral Powers warship in the Indian or Pacific Ocean, which meant troopships from Australia and New Zealand could sail without naval escort, and Allied ships could be deployed elsewhere.
DuringWorld War II, the cable station was once again a vital link. The Cocos were valuable for direction finding by theY service, the worldwide intelligence system used during the war.[31]
Allied planners noted that the islands might be seized as an airfield forGerman planes and as a base for commerce raiders operating in the Indian Ocean. FollowingJapan's entry into the war, Japanese forces occupied neighbouring islands. To avoid drawing their attention to the Cocos cable station and its islands' garrison, theseaplane anchorage between Direction andHorsburgh islands was not used. Radio transmitters were also kept silent, except in emergencies.[32]
After theFall of Singapore in 1942, the islands were administered from Ceylon and West and Direction Islands were placed underAllied military administration. The islands' garrison initially consisted of a platoon from the British Army'sKing's African Rifles, located on Horsburgh Island, with two 6-inch (152.4 mm) guns to cover the anchorage. The local inhabitants all lived on Home Island. Despite the importance of the islands as a communication centre, the Japanese made no attempt either to raid or to occupy them and contented themselves with sending over a reconnaissance aircraft about once a month.
On the night of 8–9 May 1942, 15 members of the garrison, from theCeylon Defence Force,mutinied under the leadership ofGratien Fernando. The mutineers were said to have been provoked by the attitude of their British officers and were also supposedly inspired by Japanese anti-British propaganda. They attempted to take control of thegun battery on the islands. TheCocos Islands Mutiny was crushed, but the mutineers murdered one non-mutinous soldier and wounded one officer. Seven of the mutineers were sentenced to death at a trial that was later alleged to have been improperly conducted, though the guilt of the accused was admitted. Four of the sentences were commuted, but three men were executed, including Fernando. These were to be the onlyBritish Commonwealth soldiers executed for mutiny during the Second World War.[33]
On 25 December 1942, the Japanese submarineI-166 bombarded the islands but caused no damage.[34]
Later in the war, two airstrips were built, and three bomber squadrons were moved to the islands to conduct raids against Japanese targets in South East Asia and to provide support during theplanned reinvasion ofMalaya and reconquest of Singapore. The first aircraft to arrive wereSupermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIs ofNo. 136 Squadron RAF.[35] They included someLiberator bombers fromNo. 321 (Netherlands) Squadron RAF (members of exiled Dutch forces serving with theRoyal Air Force), which were also stationed on the islands. When in July 1945No. 99 andNo. 356 RAF squadrons arrived on West Island, they brought with them a daily newspaper calledAtoll which contained news of what was happening in the outside world. Run by airmen in their off-duty hours, it achieved fame when dropped by Liberator bombers on POW camps over the heads of the Japanese guards.
In 1946, the administration of the islands reverted toSingapore and it became part of the Colony of Singapore.[36]
On 23 November 1955, the islands were transferred from the United Kingdom to theCommonwealth of Australia. Immediately before the transfer the islands were part of the United Kingdom's Colony of Singapore, in accordance with the Straits Settlements (Repeal) Act, 1946 of the United Kingdom[37] and the British Settlements Acts, 1887 and 1945, as applied by the Act of 1946.[25] The legal steps for effecting the transfer were as follows:[38]
The Commonwealth Parliament and the Government requested and consented to the enactment of a United Kingdom Act for the purpose.
The Cocos Islands Act, 1955, authorised Her Majesty, by Order in Council, to direct that the islands should cease to form part of theColony of Singapore and be placed under the authority of the Commonwealth.
By the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act, 1955, the Parliament of the Commonwealth provided for the acceptance of the islands as a territory under the authority of the Commonwealth and for its government.
The Cocos Islands Order in Council, 1955, made under the United Kingdom Act of 1955, provided that upon the appointed day (23 November 1955) the islands should cease to form part of the Colony of Singapore and be placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The reason for this comparatively complex machinery was due to the terms of the Straits Settlement (Repeal) Act, 1946. According to SirKenneth Roberts-Wray "any other procedure would have been of doubtful validity".[39] The separation involved three steps: separation from the Colony of Singapore; transfer by United Kingdom and acceptance by Australia.
H. J. Hull was appointed the first official representative (now administrator) of the new territory. He had been a lieutenant-commander in the Royal Australian Navy and was released for the purpose. Under Commonwealth Cabinet Decision 1573 of 9 September 1958, Hull's appointment was terminated andJohn William Stokes was appointed on secondment from the Northern Territory police. A media release at the end of October 1958 by the Minister for Territories, Hasluck, commended Hull's three years of service on Cocos.
Stokes served in the position from 31 October 1958 to 30 September 1960. His son's boyhood memories and photos of the Islands have been published.[40] C. I. BuffettMBE fromNorfolk Island succeeded him and served from 28 July 1960 to 30 June 1966, and later acted as Administrator back on Cocos and on Norfolk Island. In 1974, Ken Mullen wrote a small book[41] about his time with wife and son from 1964 to 1966 working at the Cable Station on Direction Island.
In the 1970s, the Australian government's 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 ofA$6,250,000, using the threat of compulsory acquisition. By agreement, the family retained ownership of Oceania House, their home on the island. In 1983, the Australian government reneged on this agreement and toldJohn Clunies-Ross that he should leave the Cocos. The following year theHigh Court of Australia ruled that resumption of Oceania House was unlawful, but the Australian government ordered that no government business was to be granted to Clunies-Ross's shipping company, an action that contributed to his bankruptcy.[42] John Clunies-Ross later moved toPerth, Western Australia. However, some members of the Clunies-Ross family still live on the Cocos.
Extensive preparations were undertaken by the government of Australia to prepare the Cocos Malays to vote in their referendum of self-determination. Discussions began in 1982, with an aim of holding the referendum, under United Nations supervision, in mid-1983. Under guidelines developed by the UN Decolonization Committee, residents were to be offered three choices: full independence, free association, or integration with Australia. The last option was preferred by both the islanders and the Australian government. A change in government in Canberra following the March 1983 Australian elections delayed the vote by one year. While the Home Island Council stated a preference for a traditional communal consensus "vote", the UN insisted on a secret ballot.The referendum was held on 6 April 1984, with all 261 eligible islanders participating, including the Clunies-Ross family: 229 voted for integration, 21 for Free Association, nine for independence, and two failed to indicate a preference.[43] In the first decade of the 21st century, a series of disputes have occurred between the Muslim and the non-Muslim population of the islands.[44]
The airstrip on West Island has an airstrip that is more than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and is designed to accommodateBoeing 737 passenger flights and smaller military planes. In 2023, the Australian parliament approved plans to extend the airstrip by 150 metres so that it could takeBoeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft capable of low-levelanti-submarine warfare operations and high-tech military surveillance. Construction was scheduled to start in 2024 and be completed by 2026.[13] Prior to the upgrade, the United States had been using the airstrip for several decades as a stopover point betweenDiego Garcia andGuam, and as a partial alternative to thePaya Lebar Air Base.[45]
As of November 2023, the Administrator isFarzian Zainal, she is also the Administrator ofChristmas Island.[52] These two territories comprise theAustralian Indian Ocean Territories. The Australian Government provides Commonwealth-level government services through the Christmas Island Administration and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.[53] As per the Federal Government'sTerritories Law Reform Act 1992, which came into force on 1 July 1992, Western Australian laws are applied to the Cocos Islands, "so far as they are capable of applying in the Territory";[54] non-application or partial application of such laws is at the discretion of the federal government. The Act also gives Western Australian courts judicial power over the islands. The Cocos Islands remain constitutionally distinct from Western Australia, however; the power of the state to legislate for the territory is power delegated by the federal government. The kind of services typically provided by a state government elsewhere in Australia are provided by departments of the Western Australian Government, and by contractors, with the costs met by the federal government.[55]
There also exists a unicameralCocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council with seven seats. A full term lasts four years, though elections are held every two years; approximately half the members retire each two years.[56] As of March 2024[update] the president of the shire is Aindil Minkom.[57] The most recent local election took place on 21 October 2023 alongside elections onChristmas Island.[58]
Cocos (Keeling) Islands residents who are Australian citizens also vote infederal elections. Cocos (Keeling) Islanders are represented in the House of Representatives by the member for theDivision of Lingiari (in theNorthern Territory) and in the Senate by Northern Territory senators.[61] At the2022 Australian federal election theLabor Party received absolute majorities from Cocos electors in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.[60][59]
Defence is the responsibility of theAustralian Defence Force. Until 2023, there were no active military installations or defence personnel on the island; the administrator could request the assistance of the Australian Defence Force if required.
In 2016, the Australian Department of Defence announced that theCocos (Keeling) Islands Airport (West Island) would be upgraded to support theRoyal Australian Air Force'sP-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.[62] Work was scheduled to begin in early 2023 and be completed by 2026. The airfield will act as a forward operating base for Australian surveillance and electronic warfare aircraft in the region.[63][64]
Civilian law enforcement and community policing is provided by theAustralian Federal Police. The normal deployment to the island is onesergeant and oneconstable. These are augmented by two locally engaged Special Members who have police powers.
Since 1992, court services have been provided by theWestern Australian Department of the Attorney-General under a service delivery arrangement with the Australian Government. Western Australian Court Services provide Magistrates Court, District Court, Supreme Court, Family Court, Children's Court, Coroner's Court and Registry for births, deaths and marriages and change of name services. Magistrates and judges from Western Australia convene acircuit court as required.
Home Island and West Island have medical clinics providing basic health services, but serious medical conditions and injuries cannot be treated on the island and patients are sent to Perth for treatment, a distance of 3,000 km (1,900 mi).
According to the 2021 Australian Census, the population of the Cocos Islands is 593 people.[2] The gender distribution stands at an approximate 51% male and 49% female.[2] The median age of the population is 40 years, slightly older than the median Australian population age of 38 years.[68] As of 2021, there are no people living on the Cocos Islands who identify as Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander).[2]
The majority religion of the Cocos Islands isIslam, with 65.6% of the total population identifying as Muslim, followed by Unspecified (15.3%), Non-religious (14.0%), Catholic (2.0%), Anglican (1.5%). The remaining 1.6% of Cocos Islanders identify as secular or hold various other beliefs (including atheism, agnosticism and unspecified spiritual beliefs).[2]
73.5% of the population were born in Australia - either on the mainland, on the Cocos Islands, or in another Australian territory. The remaining 26.5% come from other countries, including Malaysia (4.0%), England (1.3%), New Zealand (1.2%), Singapore (0.5%) and Argentina (0.5%), among others.[2] 61.2% of the population speak Malay at home, while 19.1% speak English, and 3.5% speak another language (including Spanish and various Austronesian and African languages).[2] 63.0% of the population speaks either only English or speaks English "well or very well", while 19.0% speak English "not well or at all".[69]
The population of the islands is approximately 600. There is a small and growing tourist industry focused on water-based or nature activities. In 2016, a beach on Direction Island was named the best beach in Australia byBrad Farmer, an Aquatic and Coastal Ambassador for Tourism Australia and co-author of101 Best Beaches 2017.[71][72]
Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but most food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia or elsewhere.
The Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers,stevedores, andlighterage worker operations. Tourism employs others. The unemployment rate was 6.7% in 2011.[73]
On 2 April 2025, United States PresidentDonald Trump announced a 10%tariff on the Cocos Islands.[74]
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands hold significant strategic value due to their location near vital shipping lanes in theIndian Ocean and their proximity to theMalacca,Sunda, andLombok Straits.[13]This positioning allows for effective monitoring and control of maritime traffic between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
In recent years, both Australia and the United States have recognized the islands' strategic importance.[75]Euronews described the plan as Australian support for an increased American presence in Southeast Asia, but expressed concern that it was likely to upset Chinese officials.[76] After plans to construct airbases were reported on byThe Washington Post,[77] Australian defence ministerStephen Smith stated that the Australian government views the "Cocos as being potentially a long-term strategic location, but that is down the track."[78] In 2023, Indian aircraft from their Navy and Air Force paid a visit to the islands. Australia hopes to further advance relationships with India in order to grow their monitoring strength in the Indian Ocean.[79]
Australia has initiated a project to upgrade the airfield onWest Island to accommodate larger military aircraft, including theP-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. This enhancement aims to bolster maritime surveillance capabilities in the region.[80][81][82]
TheU.S. military is considering the Cocos Islands for infrastructure development under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, reflecting their significance in countering regional threats and ensuring free navigation.[83]
In 2023,Indian Navy andAir Force aircraft visited the Cocos Islands, marking a step forward in defense collaboration between India and Australia. This visit underscored the islands' role in enhancing joint maritime security efforts in the Indian Ocean.[84]
The islands' location offers several strategic advantages.
Their proximity to critical maritime chokepoints makes them ideal for deploying surveillance assets to monitor naval activities and secure sea lines of communication.
The islands can serve as a base for refueling and resupplying naval vessels and aircraft, extending operational reach in the region.[85]
In late 2024,Google, in collaboration with partners, announced plans to build a subsea cable connectingDarwin, Australia, to Christmas Island. This project aimed to enhance digital resilience and connectivity, aligning with broader strategic objectives in the region.[86]
The islands feature approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) of roads. The primary airport,Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport, is located onWest Island and has a single 2,441-meter paved runway.Virgin Australia operates scheduled flights fromPerth Airport twice a week, with some services also stopping atChristmas Island. Historically, from 1952 until 1967, the airport served as a refueling stop for flights between Australia andSouth Africa.
Local transportation includes a tourist bus onHome Island and a bus service on West Island operated by the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society, which also manages the inter-island ferry,Cahaya Baru, connecting West, Home, and Direction Islands.[87]
There is alagoon anchorage between Horsburgh and Direction islands for larger vessels, while yachts have a dedicated anchorage area in the southern lee of Direction Island. There are no majorseaports on the islands.
Telecommunication services are integrated into Australia's system, utilizing the area code +61 8 9162 xxxx. Public telephones are available on both West and Home Islands. Mobile services are provided by Indian Ocean Territories Telecom (IOTT), offering 4G connectivity and various NBN plans, including Sky Muster Plus. SIM and recharge cards can be purchased locally.[88][89][90]
Internet services are delivered via satellite, with providers like MultiWave Networks offering NBN Sky Muster Plus premium services. The territory's country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is .cc, administered byVeriSign through its subsidiary eNIC.[89][90][88]
Postal services, managed byAustralia Post, use the postcode 6799. Post offices are situated on both West and Home Islands. Standard letters and express post items are dispatched by air twice weekly, while other mail is sent by sea, which can result in delivery times of up to two months.
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands receives a range of digital channels fromWestern Australia via satellite and is broadcast from the Airport Building on the West Island on the following VHF frequencies:ABC6,SBS7,WAW8,WOW10 andWDW11[98]
There is a school in the archipelago,Cocos Islands District High School, with campuses located on West Island (Kindergarten to Year 10), and the other on Home Island (Kindergarten to Year 6). CIDHS is part of theWestern Australia Department of Education. School instruction is in English on both campuses, with Cocos Malay teacher aides assisting the younger children in Kindergarten, Pre-Preparatory and early Primary with the English curriculum on the Home Island Campus. The Home Language of Cocos Malay is valued whilst students engage in learning English.
Although it is an Australian territory, the culture of the islands has extensive influences fromMalaysia andIndonesia due to its predominantly ethnic Malay population.
ThePulu Cocos Museum on Home Island was established in 1987, in recognition of the fact that the distinct culture of Home Island needed formal preservation.[101][102] The site includes the displays on local culture and traditions, as well as the early history of the islands and their ownership by theClunies-Ross family.[103][104] The museum also includes displays on military and naval history, as well as local botanical and zoological items.[105]
Rugby league is a popular sport on the islands.[106] The Cocos Islands Golf Club, located on West Island and established in 1962, is the only golf course in the world that plays across an internationalairport runway.[107]
A 2019 study led by Jennifer Lavers from theUniversity of Tasmania's Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies published in the journalScientific Reports estimated the volume ofplastic rubbish on the Islands as around 414 million pieces, weighing 238 tonnes, 93% of which lies buried under the sand. It said that previous surveys which only assessed surface garbage probably "drastically underestimated the scale of debris accumulation". The plastic waste found in the study consisted mostly of single-use items such as bottles,plastic cutlery, bags anddrinking straws.[108][109][110][111]
^Horsburgh, James (1841)."Islands to the Southward and South-eastward of Java; The Keeling or Cocos Islands".The India directory, or, Directions for sailing to and from the East Indies, China, Australia, and the interjacent ports of Africa and South America: comp. chiefly from original journals of the honourable company's ships, and from observations and remarks, resulting from the experience of twenty-one years in the navigation of those seas. Vol. 1 (5th ed.). London: W.H. Allen and Co. pp. 141–2.
^Ross, J. C. (May 1835)."The Cocos' Isles".The Metropolitan. Peck and Newton. p. 220.
^Colony of Singapore. Government Gazette. (1 April 1946). The Singapore Colony Order in Council, 1946 (G.N. 2, pp. 2–3). Singapore: [s.n.]. Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SGG; White paper on Malaya (26 January 1946). The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Tan, K. Y. L. (Ed.). (1999). The Singapore legal system (pp. 232–233). Singapore: Singapore University Press. Call no.: RSING 349.5957 SIN.
^Commonwealth and Colonial Law by Kenneth Roberts-Wray, London, Stevens, 1966. pp. 133–134
^Commonwealth and Colonial Law by Kenneth Roberts-Wray, London, Stevens, 1966. p. 134
^Stokes, Tony (2012).Whatever Will Be, I'll See: Growing Up in the 1940s, 50s and 60s in the Northern Territory, Christmas and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Tony Stokes. p. 238.ISBN9780646575643.
^Ken Mullen (1974).Cocos Keeling, the Islands Time Forgot. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. p. 122.ISBN9780207131950.OCLC1734040.
^Kenneth Chen, "Pacific Island Development Plan: Cocos (Keeling) Islands- The Political Evolution of a Small Island Territory in the Indian Ocean" (1987): Mr Chen was Administrator, Cocos Islands, from December 1983 – November 1985.
^"Lost in transition".www.theaustralian.com.au. 31 August 2009.Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved27 December 2018.
^"Territories of Australia". Archived fromthe original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved7 February 2008.As part of the Machinery of Government Changes following the Federal Election on 29 November 2007, administrative responsibility for Territories has been transferred to the Attorney General's Department.
^First Assistant Secretary, Territories Division (30 January 2008)."Territories of Australia". Attorney-General's Department. Archived fromthe original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved7 February 2008.The Federal Government, through the Attorney-General's Department administers Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Jervis Bay, and Norfolk Island as Territories.
^Maj-General J. T. Durrant (SA Air Force, Commanding Officer, Cocos Islands), watched by Wing Commander "Sandy" Webster (Commanding Officer, 99 Squadron), Squadron Leader Les Evans (Acting Commanding Officer, 356 Squadron) and Lieutenant Commander W. van Prooijen (Commanding Officer, 321 Squadron).
McGrath, Tony (2019).In Tropical Skies: A History of Aviation to Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Carlisle, WA: Hesperian Press.ISBN9780859057561.
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