Cocos Islands

Cocos Islands, also called the Keeling Islands,a group of 27 small coral islands in the eastern Indian Ocean, a dependency of Australia. Copra (dried coconut meat) is the chief product. An airport is located on West Island, the largest island of the group. The population is composed of Malays and Europeans. The islands were visited by Captain William Keeling of the East India Company in 1609. The first settlement was established in 1826, and in 1857 the group was annexed by Britain. Included in the jurisdiction of the governor of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1878, and in the jurisdiction of the governor of the Straits Settlements in 1886, the islands were incorporated into the Settlement of Singapore in 1903. In 1955 the Cocos Islands came under Australian control, and in 1984 the islanders voted to become part of Australia. The Clunies-Ross family was the islands' sole landholder from 1886 until 1978, when the Australian government purchased its lands and gave them to the villagers. Area, about 14 sq km (about 5.5 sq mi); population (595 (1993)) 595.