COCOS ISLANDS

officially Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, also called Keeling Islands external territory of Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean, 2,290 miles (3,685 km) west of Darwin, Australia, and about 800 miles (1,300 km) south-southwest of Singapore. The isolated territory, with a total land area of 5.6 square miles (14.4 square km), consists of two coral atolls, of which the southern has 26 islets and the northern only North Keeling Island. The territory's administrative headquarters are on West Island in the southern atoll. The population in 1990 was estimated at 700.