Cocos (Keeling) Islands Flag

Flags of the World > Cocos (Keeling) Islands Flag

Brief History. Captain William Keeling was the first European to see the islands, in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. The islands were brought under the British Empire in 1857. In 1867, their administration was placed under the Straits Settlements, which later became known as Singapore. On November 23, 1955 the islands were transferred to Australian control under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955. In 1978, Australia entered a form of purchase of the islands with the Clunies-Ross family. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island.