Cocos Islands are in the Indian Ocean, 1,720 miles (2,768 kilometers) northwest of Perth, Australia. The islands are an overseas territory of Australia. They are sometimes known as the Keeling Islands.
There are 27 coral islands in the whole group, with a total land area of about 9 square miles (24 square kilometers). None of the islands rises more than 20 feet (6 meters) above sea level. The main islands are West Island, Home Island, South Island, Direction Island, and Horsburgh Island. North Keeling Island is 15 miles (24 kilometers) to the north of the main group. This island was declared a national park in 1995 and is managed by Parks Australia. Most of the islands are densely covered with coconut palms. Only Home Island and West Island are inhabited. Coconuts, grown throughout the islands, are the sole cash crop.
Captain William Keeling, of the East India Company, sighted the Cocos Islands in 1609. Alexander Hare, an Englishman, and Captain John Clunies-Ross, a Scottish seaman, established settlements in 1826 and 1827. In 1903, the islands were included in the Straits Settlements, a group of territories that were part of colonial British Malaya. In 1955, the Cocos Islands became an Australian territory.
