Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Flag and Facts
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands do not have a separate official flag and use the flag of Australia, since they are an Australian territory.
- Official name
- Territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Capital
- West Island
- Region
- Australia and New Zealand
- Population
- 593 (2021)
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Australian dollar
- Area
- 14 km² (5 sq mi)
- People
- Cocos Islander
- Calling code
- +61
- Highest point
- South Point on South Island 9 m
- Independence
- none (territory of Australia)
- Borders
- No land borders
- Status
- Territory (not a sovereign country)
About Cocos (Keeling) Islands
British sea captain William Keeling came across the islands in 1609. By 1622 they were named for their coconut palms, and some maps started calling them the Keeling Islands in 1703. Then in 1825, a Scottish trader named John Clunies-Ross was trying to reach Christmas Island when winds pushed him here instead.
The next year his brother was hired to bring enslaved workers and start the first lasting settlement. Within a decade the Clunies-Ross clan was firmly in charge, and they ran the islands in a feudal way until 1978. Britain annexed the atolls in 1857, running them from Ceylon starting in 1878, then from Singapore starting in 1886. Today the islands are flat, low coral atolls with only 593 residents.
Did you know?
- The highest point in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is South Point, just 9 meters above the sea.
- Together the islands cover roughly 24 times the area of the grassy National Mall in the US capital.
- Trade winds from the southeast cool the islands for roughly nine months out of every 12.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Cocos (Keeling) Islands
What is the capital of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands?
West Island is the capital.
What currency do the Cocos (Keeling) Islands use?
The islands use the Australian dollar.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.