The Cocos (Keeling) Islands, in the Indian Ocean, are 2768 kilometres
north-west of Perth and 3685 kilometres west of Darwin.
Just 14 square kilometres in area, Cocos comprises twenty-seven coral islands forming two atolls.
The northern atoll is a single uninhabited island, North Keeling.
The main atoll is 24 kilometres to the south, and is a horseshoe-shaped chain of islands encircling a lagoon. This atoll contains five major islands, including the only inhabited islands in the Territory -Home and West Islands. West Island, about 10 kilometres long is the largest. The Territory's administrative community, airport and animal quarantine station are located there. The Cocos Malay community lives on Home Island.
Coral reels protect the islands, which are low-lying with soils of coral fragments mixed with decayed vegetable matter and sand. The highest point is on South Island where a dune, built up by the prevailing south-east winds, rises to just six metres above sea level.
All the islands have steep shingle beaches to seaward and sandy beaches sloping gently to the central lagoon. They support dense vegetation-mainly of coconut palms.
Whilst neither of the atolls has fresh surface water, shallow wells give access to natural reservoirs of fresh groundwater formed by rainfall seeping into the porous soil.
Cocos's tropical climate is influenced by the south-east trade winds for about nine months of the year. The average annual rainfall is 1998 mm.