Cocos (Keeling) Islands Introduction 2008

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 CLUNIE-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.

NOTE: The information regarding Cocos (Keeling) Islands on this page is re-published from the 2008 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cocos (Keeling) Islands Introduction 2008 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cocos (Keeling) Islands Introduction 2008 should be addressed to the CIA.