Cocos Islands: Nature and Water Lover’s Paradise
The Cocos Malays, who belong to the Sunni Muslim sect, are the prime community. The people share both Malay culture and colonial culture. The island’s economy is very weak, so the preponderance of the population is poor. Anyway, the unemployment rate is very low compared to similar territories in the region, as the tourism sector, construction sector and plantation sector absorb the majority of the employable population.
The healthcare facility and education infrastructure of the territory, which is administered by the Australian federal government’s Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, is very primitive. The local population have to travel to nearest developed islands or countries to pursue higher education and to access quality health service.
The island, which has no power to decide their foreign policy and defence policy, is a strategical point near the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea due to its proximity to both these oceans, located near China.
Earlier, during the erstwhile Obama era, there were plans to create a US airbase on this island. When the news was leaked to the International media houses, the US and the Australian government, which handle the foreign and defence departments of the island, had to ditch the plan. Had the US created such an airbase in the region, it would have helped them to closely monitor the developments in the South China Sea and to take complete control of the sea lanes between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The Cocos Islands is the land of beautiful beaches, coconut trees and natural vegetation. There are many activities waiting on the island for the travellers.
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