COCOS ISLANDS


Meaning of COCOS ISLANDS in English

or Keeling Islands

Territory (pop., 1996: 558) of Australia.

Lying in the eastern Indian Ocean about 580 mi (930 km) southwest of Java , it consists of two isolated atolls and 27 small coral islets and has a total land area of 5.6 sq mi (14.4 sq km). They were discovered in 1609 by William Keeling and first settled in 1826. Declared a British possession in 1857, the Cocos at times came under the government of Ceylon but ultimately passed to Australia in 1955. In 1984 the residents voted to merge with Australia.

Britannica English dictionary.      Английский словарь Британика.