The South Keeling Islands are a group of 24 islands of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, next to North Keeling, about to the north. The Australian atoll is located in the Indian Ocean about northwest of Perth, west of Darwin, southwest of Christmas Island and more than southwest of Java and Sumatra. Only two of the 24 islands are populated, with a total population of around 600.
History
The islands are named after Captain William Keeling, who is believed to have been the first European to have visited, in 1609. The islands were not inhabited until 1826, when Alexander Hare moved his family to Home Island. The islands were ruled by John Clunies-Ross and his descendants between 1827 and 1986, even after the Cocos Islands became an Australian territory in 1955.
Geography
The atoll consists of 24 islands, with the largest being West, Home, South, Direction, and Horsburgh islands. West Island is the largest in the territory, with a length of 10 km (6 mi).
The South Keeling Islands have two inhabited islands with a combined population of 600, West Island and Home Island. The capital of the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is West Island while the largest settlement is the village of Bantam, on Home Island. The other islands are not permanently inhabited. A Malay ethnic group of just over 450 people live on the islands, the Cocos Malays, who live mainly in Bantam on Home Island. There are also about 150 Australians, most of whom live on West Island.Census 2011 des Australian Bureau of Statistics , retrieved 28 April 2015.
+ Islets forming the South Keeling Islands atoll (clockwise from north) Islet(Malay name) Translation of Malay name English name Area(approx.)km2 mi2 1 Outer Island Horsburgh Island 2 Mouse Island Direction Island 3 Sand Island Workhouse Island 4 Rice Island Prison Island 5 Copper Island Closed sandbar, now part of Home Island 6 Home Island 7 Little Ampang Island Scaevola Islet 8 Ampang Island Canui Island 9 Ampang Minor 10 Reef Heron Island Goldwater Island 11 Flower Island Thorn Island 12 Cape Gooseberry Island Gooseberry Island 13 Pandanus Island Misery Island 14 Shell Island Goat Island 15 Bridge Island Middle Mission Isle 16 Pumpkin Island South Goat Island 17 Up Wind Island South Island 18 One Coconut Island North Goat Island 19 East Cay 20 Burial Island 21 Maria Island West Cay 22 Goat Island Keelingham Horn Island 23 Long Island West Island 24 Turtle Island
References