| South Keeling Islands | |
| Location: | Indian Ocean |
| Country: | Australia |
The South Keeling Islands are a group of islands of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, next to North Keeling, about 270NaN0 to the north. The Australian atoll is located in the Indian Ocean about 29300NaN0 northwest of Perth, 36850NaN0 west of Darwin, 9600NaN0 southwest of Christmas Island and more than 10000NaN0 southwest of Java and Sumatra.
The atoll consists of West, Home, South, Direction, and Horsburgh islands. West Island is the largest in the territory, with a length of 10 km (6 mi).[1]
The South Keeling Islands have two inhabited islands with a combined population of 550, West Island and Home Island. The other islands are not permanently inhabited. A Malay ethnic group of just over 400 people live on the islands, the Cocos Malays, who live mainly in Bantam on Home Island. There are also about 150 Australians, most of whom live on West Island.[2]