KEELING ISLANDS (often called Cocos and Cocos KEELING ISLANDS), a group of coral islands in the Indian ocean, between 12° 4' and 12° 13' S., and 49'-57' E., but including a smaller island in fi° 5o' N. and 96° 5o' E. The group furnished Charles Darwin with the typical example of an atoll or lagoon island. There are altogether 23 small islands, 91 m. being the greatest width of the whole atoll. The lagoon is very shallow and an opening on the north side of the reef permits the entrance of vessels. The coco-nut is the characteristic product and is cul tivated on all the islands. The flora is scanty in species. One of the commonest living creatures is a monstrous crab which lives on the coco-nuts; and in some places also there are great colonies of the pomegranate crab. The group was visited by Dr. H. 0. Forbes in 1878, and later, by Dr. Guppy, Ridley and Dr. Andrews for the purpose of studying the fauna and flora and, more espe cially the formation of the coral reefs. Dr. Guppy secured a landing on North Keeling island, which is about 1 m. long and with a shallow enclosed lagoon with an opening on its east side. A dense vegetation of iron-wood (Cordia) and other trees and shrubs, together with a forest of coco-nut palms, covers its sur face. It is tenanted by myriads of sea-fowl, frigate-birds, boobies, and terns (Gygis candida), which find here an excellent nesting place, and in consequence the island contains valuable calcium phosphate deposits. The lagoon is slowly filling up and becom ing cultivable land, but the rate of recovery from the sea was specially marked after the eruption of Krakatoa, the pumice from which was washed on to it in enormous quantity, so that the lagoon advanced its shores from 20 to 3o yards.
The atoll has an exceedingly healthy climate, the temperature never reaching extremes, its range being from 89° F to 70°, and the rainfall rarely exceeds 4o inches. The south-east trade blows almost ceaselessly for ten months of the year. Terrific storms sometimes break over the island; and it has been more than once visited by earthquakes. A profitable trade is done in coco nuts, but there are few other exports. The imports are almost entirely foodstuffs and other necessaries for the inhabitants.
The islands were discovered in 1609 by Captain William Keel ing. In 1823 Alexander Hare, an English adventurer. settled on the southernmost island with a number of slaves. Some two or three years after, J. Ross settled with his family on Direction island, and his little colony was soon strengthened by Hare's run away slaves. The group was taken under British protection in 1856. In 1878 it was attached to the Government of Ceylon, and in 1882 placed under the governor of the Straits Settlements, and in 1903, annexed to Singapore. The ownership and super intendency continues in the Ross family.
See C. Darwin, Journal of the Voyage of the "Beagle," and Geologi cal Observations on Coral Reefs; also Henry 0. Forbes, A Naturalist's Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago (1884) ; H. B. Guppy, "The Cocos-Keeling Islands," Scottish Geographical Magazine (vol. v., 1889).