Cocos Islands

(Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands)

Capital: West Island

Population (Estimated July 2012): 596

Area: 14 km²or 5 mi²

Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)

Official Language: English

Political Information: Territory of Australia

Official Religion: No Official Religion (approximately 80% of the population are Muslim and 20% have other religious beliefs)

Highest Point: Unnamed area at 5m or 16ft

GDP: N/A

Time Zone (GMT/UTC): +6:30

Leaders: Queen Elizabeth II represented by the Australian governor general. Administrator is Brian Lacy, a non resident on behalf of the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services.

Additional: Comprises of two coral Atolls, north Keeling Island and 26 islets. The Island’s waters are home to a vast number of marine life, both in species and abundance, including several species of shark. Due to mass fishing the marine life was under threat but thanks to the implementation of a exclusion zone (12 miles) around the island life has been restored. The coral surrounding the island is mainly dead due to a recent sudden increase of temperature from the El Niño effect but this has not seemed to of effected the growth of marine populations.

Sources: CIA World Fact Book, Encyclopaedia Britannica.