Cocos (Keeling) Islands
 

1857 - 1903; 1942 - 1946	1903 - 1925	1925 - 1942
1946 - 23 Nov 1955	Adopted 23 Nov 1955	Adopted 9 Apr 2004

Map of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands  Hear National Anthem   "Advance Australia Fair"   Text of National Anthem  Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act (23 Nov 1955) Capital: West Island  Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD) ; Cocos (Keeling) Islands Rupee (1826-1955) National Holiday: 26 Jan (1788) Australia Day --------------------------------------- Local Holiday: 6 Apr (1984) Act of Self-Determination Day Population: 596 (2010) GDP: $N/A  Exports: $N/A Imports: $N/A Ethnic groups: Europeans, Cocos Malays Total Police Force: 4  (2012) Defense is  the Responsibility of Australia Merchant marine: None (2010) Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002)  International Organizations/Treaties: None Cocos Islands Chronology 1609                       Islands discovered by English Capt. William Keeling 1814                       British merchant seaman Capt. John Clunies-Ross                              stopped briefly at the islands on a trip to India                              nailing up a Union Jack and planning to return.  1825                       Temporary settlement (several weeks) on Direction                              Island, by shipwrecked Captain Le Cour.  6 Dec 1825                Brief visit by U.K. Capt. John Clunies-Ross. May 1826                   Settlement established on main island by Alexander                              Hare. 27 Feb 1827                Settlement established on South Island by John                              Clunies-Ross. 1831                       Hare leaves; Clunies-Ross takes possession of all                              islands; Cocos Islands constituted as a feudal                              "fiefdom" of the Clunies-Ross family.  1 Apr 1836                HMS Beagle under Captain Robert FitzRoy arrived to                              take soundings establishing the profile of the                              atoll. 31 Mar 1857                Formally annexed for Britain (crown colony)                              by Capt. Fremantle on H.M.S. Juno. 22 Nov 1878 -  1 Feb 1886  Administered by Ceylon.  7 Jul 1886                Granted in perpetuity to the Clunies-Ross family                              by Queen Victoria.  1 Feb 1886 -  1 Apr 1903  Administered by Straits Settlements                               (see Singapore).  1 Apr 1903 - 1939         Administered by Straits Settlements (as a                              dependency of Singapore).  9 Nov 1914                German warship Emden landed a raiding party on                               Direction Island to destroy cable and wireless                              equipment. HMAS Sydney severely damaged the                              Emden in a battle and the Emden was beached on                               Keeling Island, the raiding party escaped.  1939 - 1945                Administered by Ceylon (West Island and Direction                              Island under allied military administration). 1945 - 23 Nov 1955         Dependency of Singapore. 23 Nov 1955                Australian territory (Territory of Cocos [Keeling]                              Islands.  1 Sep 1978                Australia purchases all of the land on Home Island,                              with the exception of Oceania House and grounds,                              from John Cecil Clunies-Ross for $6,250,000;                              John Cecil Clunies-Ross relinquishes his                              authority 25 Jul 1979                Autonomy granted.  6 Apr 1984                Islands integrated with Australia in an Act of                               Self Determination by the Cocos community.   1 Jul 1992                Cocos became subject to Western Australian law.  1 Jul 1996                Part of Australian Indian Ocean Territories                              (Christmas Island and Cocos Islands).

Rulers
1825                       Le Cour
May 1826 - 1831            Alexander Hare (on main island)    (b. 1775 - d. 1834)
Kings (from 1857, governors)¹
27 Feb 1827 - 26 May 1854  John Clunies-Ross                  (b. 1786 - d. 1854)
                             (to 1831 on South Island only)
1854 - 1872                John George Clunies-Ross           (b. 1823 - d. 1872)
1872 -  7 Jul 1910         George Clunies-Ross                (b. 1842 - d. 1910)
 7 Jul 1910 - 14 Aug 1944  John Sidney Clunies-Ross           (b. 1868 - d. 1944)
Military Administrators
Sep 1944 - 1946            John Allen Harvey                  (b. 1900 - d. 1991)
Apr 1946 - 1946            J.E.B. Jessamine
Administrator
Apr 1946 - 1947            David Alford Somerville            (b. 1908 - d. ....)
Governor
1947 -  1 Sep 1978         John Cecil Clunies-Ross            (b. 1928)
Official Representatives
1955 - 13 Dec 1957         H.J. Hull
14 Dec 1957 - 13 Mar 1958  C.H. Cox (acting)
 8 Nov 1958 - 27 Jul 1960  John William Stokes                (b. 1910 - d. 1995)
28 Jul 1960 - 17 Apr 1966  Charles Ivens Buffett              (b. 1914 - d. 1995)
                             (acting to 24 Feb 1964)
18 Apr 1966 - 19 Jun 1966  P.L. Ryan
20 Jun 1966 - 25 Jun 1969  P.C. Burbrook
26 Jun 1969 - 28 Jul 1972  C.W. Suthern
29 Jul 1972 - 16 Jul 1975  C. McManus
Administrators (from 1 Nov 1998, the Administrators of Christmas Island)
23 Jul 1975 - 15 Nov 1977  Robert James Linford               (b. 1917 - d. 2007)
16 Nov 1977 - 31 Dec 1981  Charles Ivens Buffett              (s.a.)
21 Apr 1982 - 22 Nov 1983  Eric Herbert Hanfield              (b. 1918)
14 Dec 1983 - 19 Nov 1985  K. Chan
20 Nov 1985 - Dec 1987     Carolyn Stuart (f)
Jan 1988 - 30 Jun 1988     W. Syrette (acting)
 1 Jul 1988 -  7 Nov 1988  M. Jopling (acting)
 8 Nov 1988 - 27 Nov 1990  A. Dawn Lawrie (f)                 (b. 1938)
 1 Dec 1990 -  4 Dec 1992  Barry T. Cunningham                (b. 1938)
 5 Dec 1992 -  4 Dec 1994  John Bell Read
 4 Dec 1994 - 31 Jan 1995  Danny Ambrose Gillespie (acting)
 1 Feb 1995 - 30 Jan 1996  Martin Mowbray
 1 Feb 1996 - 12 Apr 1997  Jarl Andersson (acting)
12 Apr 1997 - 30 Sep 1997  Maureen Ellis (f) (acting)
 1 Oct 1997 - 30 Oct 1998  Ron G. Harvey (acting)             (b. 1934)
 1 Nov 1998 -  3 Feb 1999  Graham Nicholls (acting)
 4 Feb 1999 - 30 Jul 2003  William "Bill" Leonard Taylor      (b. 1938)
30 Jul 2003 -  1 Nov 2003  Ray Stone (acting)
 1 Nov 2003 - 31 Oct 2005  Evan John Williams                 (b. 1949)
30 Jan 2006 - 22 Feb 2008  Neil Lucas                         (b. 1945)
22 Feb 2008 - 28 Feb 2008  Julian Yates (acting)
28 Feb 2008 - 2009         Sheryl Klaffer (f) (acting)
2009 -  5 Oct 2009         Stephen Clay (acting)
 5 Oct 2009 - 29 Sep 2012  Brian James Lacy                   (b. 1943)
 5 Oct 2012 -              Jon Stanhope                       (b. 1951)

Chairmen of the Cocos Islands Council
1979 - 1981                Parson bin Yapat (1st time)        (b. 1948)
1981 - 1983                Wahin bin Bynie
1983 - 1993                Parson bin Yapat (2nd time)        (s.a.)
Presidents of the Shire Council
1993 - 1995                Ronald "Ron" Grant (1st time)
1995 - 1999                Radal bin Feyrel
1999 - 2001                Mohammed Said Chongkin (1st time)
2001 - 2007                Ronald "Ron" Grant (2nd time)
Oct 2007 - 2009            Mohammed Said Chongkin (2nd time)
2009 - Oct 2009            Shane Charlston
Oct 2009 - 29 Jun 2011     Balmut Pirus
29 Jun 2011 -              Aindil Minkom

No Political Parties Exist; Administered by Australian Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport.

 ¹In 1886 the Clunies-Ross family again declared the islands a kingdom; this title was not recognized by Britain or Australia.