Geography
Natural resources include fish.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
OceaniaMicrostate
At only 14 km², Cocos (Keeling) Islands is remarkably compact. There's more here than meets the eye.
At only 14 km², Cocos (Keeling) Islands is remarkably compact. Smaller than many cities, this territory packs a lot into a tiny footprint. There's more here than meets the eye.
-12.2, 96.9 - Oceania
Area
14 km²
Pop.
593
Stats
12
Reality brief
Cocos (Keeling) Islands is a country in Oceania with a population of 593 and an area of 14 km².
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
Internet Users (%)
13.4%#227globally
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
Lowest Elevation
0 m#62globally
Lowest point elevation from CIA World Factbook.
Time Zones Count
2.0 time zones#76globally
Count of time zones listed for the country in Wikidata.
Nobel Laureates Born per Million People
0 per 1M people#106globally
Nobel-related award recipients per million people, grouped by current country of birthplace from Wikidata and normalized by World Bank population.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Cocos (Keeling) Islands
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Malay (Cocos dialect) 68.8%, English 22.3%, unspecified 8.9%; note - data represent language spoken at home (2016 est.).
CIA 2026
Economy
Key industries include copra products, tourism.
CIA 2026
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
Land Border Length
0 km#176globally
Total length of land borders with neighboring countries from the frozen public-domain CIA World Factbook snapshot.
Coastline Length
26 km#188globally
Total coastline length from CIA World Factbook.
Airports
1.0#218globally
Large, medium, and small airport records by country from the open OurAirports dataset.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Only ranks #231 in highest elevation
#2319.0 mHighest Elevation
Highest point elevation from CIA World Factbook.
Compared with the region
How Cocos (Keeling) Islands Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Oceania avg
World avg
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 13.4%
- Region avg
- 61.65%
- World avg
- 70.29%
Cocos (Kee…13.4%
Oceania61.65%
World70.29%
-81% below worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Country briefing
British sea captain William KEELING discovered the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in 1609, and they were named for their coconut trees in 1622.
Read the full Factbook note
British sea captain William KEELING discovered the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in 1609, and they were named for their coconut trees in 1622. Some maps began referring to them as the Keeling Islands in 1703. In 1825, Scottish trader John CLUNIES-ROSS was trying to get to Christmas Island but was blown off course and landed on Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The next year, a British trader hired CLUNIES-ROSS's brother to bring slaves and a harem of Malay women to create the first permanent settlement on the island. By the 1830s, the Clunies-Ross family had firmly established themselves as the leaders of the islands, and they ruled Cocos (Keeling) Islands in a feudal style until 1978.
The UK annexed the islands in 1857 and administered them from Ceylon after 1878 and from Singapore after 1886. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands hosted a cable relaying station and was attacked by the Germans in World War I. The Japanese similarly attacked the islands in World War II. The UK transferred the islands to Australia in 1955, when they were officially named the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and in 1978, Australia bought all the land held by the Clunies-Ross family, ending their control of the islands. In a referendum in 1984, most islanders voted to integrate with Australia, and Western Australian laws have applied on the islands since 1992.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- Location
- Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka
- Climate
- tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year
- Terrain
- flat, low-lying coral atolls
- Natural Resources
- fish
- Natural Hazards
- cyclone season is October to April
- Size Comparison
- about 24 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
People & Culture3 facts
- Languages
- Malay (Cocos dialect) 68.8%, English 22.3%, unspecified 8.9%; note - data represent language spoken at home (2016 est.)
- Religions
- Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 75%, Anglican 3.5%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, none 12.9%, unspecified 6.3% (2016 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Europeans, Cocos Malays
Government & History8 facts
- Government Type
- non-self-governing overseas territory of Australia
- Capital
- West Island
- Capital Coordinates
- 12 10 S, 96 50 E
- Capital Timezone
- UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Name Origin
- the name refers to the abundant coconut trees on the islands and to English Captain William KEELING, the first European to sight the islands in 1609
- Independence
- none (territory of Australia)
- National Anthem
- "God Save the King"
Economy & Trade6 facts
- Industries
- copra products, tourism
- Agricultural Products
- vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts
- Export Partners
- USA 31%, Singapore 29%, UK 12%, Australia 3%, Brazil 3% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- ships (2023)
- Import Partners
- Australia 87%, USA 3%, Philippines 2%, Sweden 2%, Brazil 1% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- iron structures, special purpose motor vehicles, cars, ships, aluminum structures (2023)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #62
Lowest Elevation
0 m#62
Land Border Length
0 km#176
Coastline Length
26 km#188
Highest Elevation
9.0 m#231
Infrastructure1 statsBest: #218
Airports
Technology1 statsBest: #227
Internet Users (%)
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Cocos (Keeling) Islands
#227 in Internet Users (%)
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
Top 91% globally
13.4%
Frequently Asked Questions about Cocos (Keeling) Islands
What is the population of Cocos (Keeling) Islands?
Cocos (Keeling) Islands has a population of 593, ranking #233 globally by population.
What continent is Cocos (Keeling) Islands in?
Cocos (Keeling) Islands is located in Oceania. It has an area of 14 km².
What is Cocos (Keeling) Islands known for in global statistics?
Cocos (Keeling) Islands ranks particularly high in Internet Users (%) (#227), Population (#233), Lowest Elevation (#62).