COCOS ISLANDS! LEIAM O FINAL!!!

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
General Information
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Resort Development : Expressions of Interest Prospectus

Location
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are located in the Indian Ocean at latitude 12°10' south and longitude 96°52' east. They are 2,950 km north-west of Perth, 3,700 km west of Darwin, and 900 km south-west of Christmas Island. There are twenty-seven coral islands in the group, with a total land area of approximately 14 sq. km.

Geography and Climate
Apart from North Keeling Island, which is approximately 24 km from the main group, the islands form a typical horseshoe-shaped atoll surrounded by a coral reef.

Each island has rough coral beaches to seaward and sandy beaches or mudflats on the lagoon side. The Islands are low lying and most are thickly covered with coconut palms.

Wildlife consists mainly of seabirds, such as Frigatebirds and Booby birds, which are restricted to uninhabited islands, especially North Keeling. Land crabs are common on all islands.

The climate is tropical with high humidity. Temperatures range from 23°C to 30°C. The average rainfall is 2,000 mm per annum, falling mainly from January to August. The south-east trade winds blow most of the year, producing pleasant weather conditions.

Time Difference
1½ hours behind Western Standard Time (WST) and 3½ hours behind Eastern Standard Time (EST) i.e. 9:00 a.m. EST = 5:30 a.m. Cocos time. Add one hour for daylight saving e.g. 9.00 a.m. EDT = 4.30 a.m. on Cocos.

History
Although the Cocos (Keeling) Islands were discovered in 1609, they were not inhabited until 1826, when an Englishman, Alexander Hare, established a settlement on the main atoll. The next year, Captain John Clunies-Ross, a Scottish seaman and former employee of Hare, settled on another of the islands of the atoll.

In 1857, Captain Fremantle of HMS Juno formally declared the Islands part of the British Dominions. In 1886, Queen Victoria granted all the Islands to John Clunies-Ross' grandson George and his heirs, reserving powers to the Crown to resume land for public purposes and to conduct cable communications.

In 1955, the Islands, which had been governed through the British colonies of Ceylon, the Straits Settlements and Singapore, were accepted as a Territory of Australia. In 1978, the Australian Government purchased Mr Clunies-Ross’ property interests in the Islands, other than his family home (Oceania House) and surrounding grounds on Home Island (approximately 5 hectares in total). The following year, ownership of the village area of Home Island was transferred to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Council, the local governing body elected by the Home Island community, to be held in trust for the residents. In 1984, the remainder of the land within the Islands, apart from land owned by the Commonwealth and Mr Clunies-Ross, was transferred by trust to the Council on behalf of the Islander community. In 1993, the Commonwealth purchased the remaining property of Mr Clunies-Ross, known as Lot 14, on Home Island.

On 6 April 1984, the Cocos community, in a United Nations supervised Act of Self Determination, voted overwhelmingly to integrate with Australia. The Government made a commitment at that time to raise services and standards of living to a level comparable with those on mainland Australian as soon as possible, and in no more than ten years at most. The Commonwealth Grants Commission was selected as the independent arbiter to monitor progress in achieving this goal.

Following consideration of the Grants Commission report of 1986 and extensive consultations with the Cocos community and its legal representatives, the Government agreed on a package of changes to bring standards and conditions on Cocos into line with mainland standards. On 7 March 1991, the Prime Minister and leaders of the Cocos Island community signed a Memorandum of Understanding which set out the range of measures required to achieve equivalent standards of living in the Territory.

The ABS Census of 2001 recorded a total population of 618 persons of whom about 80% are resident on Home Island. This is also where the majority of the Cocos Malay community resides. The 130 remaining residents live on West Island, where the main Commonwealth facilities, including the airport, are located. These residents are mostly from the mainland on two or three year postings.

THE NATIONAL HERO FROM THESE GREAT ISLANDS IS A FANTASTIC PLAYER FROM FANTASY LEAGUE.HE IS FROM THE NON GREATER CASAL DA COXA.HE IS THE GREAT RICARDÃO.THERE IS A DAY IN IS HONOR,THE DAY OF SAINT RICARDÃO!