Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 provided courtesy of 
The Libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis
 
 Match 55   DB Rec# - 55,802  Dataset-WOFACT
 
Source        :CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 
Source key    :CI 
Program       :WORLD FACTBOOK 
Program key   :CI WOFACT 
Update sched. :Annually         
ID number     :CI WOFACT 054              
Title         :COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS 
Data type     :TEXT 
End year      :1994
Date of record:02/16/1994
Keywords 3    : 
COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS 
Affiliation: (territory of Australia) 
 
GEOGRAPHY 
Location: in the Indian Ocean, 1,070 km southwest of Indonesia, about 
halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka 
 
Map references: Southeast Asia 
 
Area: 
 
total area: 14 km2 
 
land area: 14 km2 
 
comparative area: about 24 times the size of the Mall in Washington, DC 
 
note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island 
 
Land boundaries: 0 km 
 
Coastline: 2.6 km 
 
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm 
 
territorial sea: 3 nm 
 
International disputes: none 
 
Climate: pleasant, modified by the southeast trade wind for about nine 
months of the year; moderate rain fall 
 
Terrain: flat, low-lying coral atolls 
 
Natural resources: fish 
 
Land use: 
 
arable land: 0% 
 
permanent crops: 0% 
 
meadows and pastures: 0% 
 
forest and woodland: 0% 
 
other: 100% 
 
Irrigated land: NA km2 
 
Environment: two coral atolls thickly covered with coconut palms and other 
vegetation 
 
PEOPLE 
Population: 593 (July 1993 est.) 
 
Population growth rate: -0.53% (1993 est.) 
 
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population 
 
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population 
 
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births 
 
Life expectancy at birth: 
 
total population: NA years 
 
male: NA years 
 
female: NA years 
 
Total fertility rate: NA children born/women 
 
Nationality: 
 
noun: Cocos Islander(s) 
 
adjective: Cocos Islander 
 
West Island: Europeans 
 
Home Island: Cocos Malays 
 
Religions: Sunni Muslims 
 
Languages: English 
 
total population: NA% 
 
male: NA% 
 
female: NA% 
 
Labor force: NA 
 
GOVERNMENT 
Names: 
 
conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands 
 
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands 
 
Digraph: CK 
 
Type: territory of Australia 
 
Capital: West Island 
 
Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia) 
 
Independence: none (territory of Australia) 
 
Constitution: Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 
 
Legal system: based upon the laws of Australia and local laws 
 
Political parties and leaders: NA 
 
Suffrage: NA 
 
Elections: NA 
 
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general of Australia, 
administrator, chairman of the Islands Council 
 
Legislative branch: unicameral Islands Council 
 
Judicial branch: Supreme Court 
 
Leaders: 
 
Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) 
 
Head of Government: Administrator B. CUNNINGHAM (since NA); Chairman of 
the Islands Council Haji WAHIN bin Bynie (since NA) 
 
Member of: none 
 
Diplomatic representation in US: none (territory of Australia) 
 
US diplomatic representation: none (territory of Australia) 
 
Flag: the flag of Australia is used 
 
ECONOMY 
Overview: Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. 
Copra and fresh coconuts are the major export earners. Small local gardens and 
fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other 
necessities must be imported from Australia. 
 
National product: GDP $NA 
 
National product real growth rate: NA% 
 
National product per capita: $NA 
 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% 
 
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of 
$NA 
 
Exports: $NA 
 
commodities: copra 
 
partners: Australia 
 
Imports: $NA 
 
commodities: foodstuffs 
 
partners: Australia 
 
Industrial production: growth rate NA% 
 
Electricity: 1,000 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, 2,980 kWh per 
capita (1990) 
 
Industries: copra products 
 
Agriculture: gardens provide vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts 
 
Economic aid: none 
 
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents 
 
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4837 (January 1993), 
1.3600 (1992), 1.2836 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988) 
 
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June 
 
COMMUNICATIONS 
Ports: none; lagoon anchorage only 
 
Airports: 
 
total: 1 
 
useable: 1 
 
with permanent-surface runways: 1 
 
with runways over 3,659 m: 0 
 
with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 
 
with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1 
 
Telecommunications: 250 radios (1985); linked by telephone, telex, and 
facsimile communications via satellite with Australia; broadcast stations - 1 
AM, no FM, no TV 
 
Defense forces 
Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia 
 
 
 
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This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 produced by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK CD-ROM,
July, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/7/v.1-2 / R. Muns, UM-St. Louis Libraries 
Local Filename: WF940053.TXT