Cocos (Keeling) Islands - Isole Cocos (Keeling)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands is a group of islands dependent onAustralia.

To know

The Cocos Islands Territory, also known as Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia consisting of two atolls and 27 coral islands.

Geographical notes

The islands are located in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Australia is Sri Lanka.

Background

Scottish captain John Clunies-Ross landed in the Cocos Islands in 1825. He proclaimed himself king and began construction of "Oceania House", a royal residence, West Island, capital of the archipelago. He favored the immigration of Malaysian groups who integrated with the locals.

They constituted, from 1827 to 1978, an autonomous kingdom, of a feudal type, under the protectorate of Great Britain is Australia.

The Clunies-Ross issued stamps, coins (Cocos rupee) and banknotes, which are still highly sought after by collectors.

After the second war, Great Britain handed over the Cocos protectorate to Australia. In 1970 there was a succession crisis and the Australian government even sent a warship which in 1978 put an end to the feudal reign of the Cocos, however granting a fair amount of autonomy.

Since 1992 it has been part of the constituency of the Northern Territories of Australia.

Spoken languages

Only two of the islands of the archipelago are inhabited: West Island, populated by Europeans, and Home Island where an indigenous Malaysian community lives. In fact, in addition to the official language (theEnglish) is also spoken Malaysian.

Suggested readings

• J.S. Hughes, Kings of the Cocos, London 1950.

Territories and tourist destinations

Only two of the islands of the archipelago are inhabited:

• West Island (in Malaysian: Pulau Panjang) - Populated by Europeans
• Home Island (in Malaysian: Pulau Selma) - Where an indigenous Malaysian community lives.

Urban centers

How to get

Entry requirements

Australian citizens do not need a passport to access these islands but still need an identity document.

By plane

To learn more, see: Airports in the Cocos and Keeling Islands.

• -12.19205696.834251 Cocos (Keeling) Airport (IATA: CCK) (West Island). It is the only airport in the region where two land on a weekly basis National Jet coming from Perth, which usually make stopovers on theChristmas Island and in the city of Exmouth. The prices for a one-way flight are $ 840 and a return ticket is $ 1860, but booking in advance can cost you around $ 1100.

Also there Virgin Australia ([email protected]) serves these islands biweekly with a stopover on Christmas Island.  

On boat

There are no ports on the islands.

How to get around

By car

You can rent a car in the following facilities:

• A Car Rental, ☎ 61 8 9162-7646. 
• Cocos Autos, ☎ 61 8 9162-7661. 
• AW & KJ James Car Hire, ☎ 61 8 9162-7717. 

By bus

A local bus service from the West Island settlement to the dock operates every 20 minutes before the ferry departs for Home Island. On Saturdays the ferry heads to Direction Island to allow tourists and locals alike to enjoy this remote paradise. The ferry returns to West Island in the afternoon. Ferry timetables are available at the tourist office and at the Duty Free Shop.

What see

What to do

Currency and purchases

The national currency is the Australian dollar (AUD) Here are the links to know the current exchange rate with the main world currencies:

(EN) With Google Finance:	CADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD
With Yahoo! Finance:	CADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD
(EN) With XE.com:	CADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD
(EN) With OANDA.com:	CADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD

At the table

Tourist infrastructure

Events and parties

Safety

The cyclone season runs from October to April.

Health situation

Fresh water is limited to rainwater accumulations in underground reservoirs.

Respect the customs

How to keep in touch

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Cocos (Keeling) Islands
• Commons contains images or other files on Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  

Draft : the article respects the standard template and has at least one section with useful information (albeit a few lines). Header and footer are correctly filled out.