West Island
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West Island is the capital of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. It serves as the administrative and population center for this small island group, making it significant to the governance and daily life of the territory's residents.
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Place details
- Locality
- Pulau Panjang / West Island
- Country
- Australia
- Population
- 120
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Article
West Island (Malay: Pulau Panjang, Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Panjang), part of the South Keeling Islands, is the capital of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean. The population is roughly 120, making it the third smallest capital in the world, and consists mainly of Europeans. It is less populous than Home Island, the only other inhabited island.
West Island was part of the Clunies-Ross plantation and an airstrip was built here during World War II. As well as all the government buildings, it contains the airport, a general store and tourist accommodation. In November 2013 it was revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate operates a listening station on West Island.