Cocos (Keeling) Islands is an external territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago. The territory consists of two atolls made up of 27 coral islands, of which only two – West Island and Home Island – are inhabited. The territory’s dual name (official since the islands’ incorporation into Australia) reflects that the islands have historically been known as either the Cocos Islands or the Keeling Islands.
The islands were discovered in 1609 by William Keeling, but no settlement occurred until the early 19th century. One of the first settlers was John Clunies-Ross, a Scottish merchant; much of the island’s current population is descended from the Malay workers he brought in to work his copra plantation. The Clunies-Ross family ruled the islands as a private fiefdom for almost 150 years, with the head of the family usually recognised as resident magistrate.
The British annexed the islands in 1857, and for the next century they were administered from either Ceylon or Singapore. The territory was transferred to Australia in 1955, although until 1979 virtually all of the island’s real estate still belonged to the Clunies-Ross family.
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