West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Native name: | |
---|---|
West Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | |
Geography | |
Location | Indian Ocean |
Coordinates | 12°11′13″S 96°49′42″E / 12.18694°S 96.82833°E |
Archipelago | Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
Area | 6.23 km2 (2.41 sq mi) |
Administration | |
Australia | |
External territory of Australia | Australian Indian Ocean Territories |
Territory | Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
Capital city | Canberra |
Demographics | |
Population | 120 |
Languages | |
Additional information | |
Time zone |
West Island (
West Island was part of the Clunies-Ross plantation and an airstrip was built here during World War II. As well as all the government buildings, it contains the airport, a general store and tourist accommodation. In November 2013 it was revealed that the Australian Signals Directorate operates a listening station on West Island.[1]
Education
Cocos Islands District High School operates a primary and secondary campus on West Island. Most of the students of that campus originate from the Australian continent.[2]
Heritage listings
West Island contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Morea Close: Administration Building Forecourt[3]
- Air Force Road: Direction Island Houses[4]
- Qantas Close: Government House[5]
- Sydney Highway: Qantas Huts[6]
- RAAF Memorial[7]
- Air Force Road: Type 2 Residences[8]
- William Keeling Crescent: Type T Houses Precinct[9]
- Orion Close: West Island Elevated Houses[10]
- Air Force Road: West Island Housing Precinct[11]
- Alexander Street: West Island Mosque[12]
Climate
West Island experiences a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen: Af, Trewartha: Aral), with hot and humid conditions experiences year round. The islands experience two seasons that often overlap: the trade wind season from May/June to September/October, and the calmer doldrum season from November through to May.[13] Precipitation is moderate to high year round, thanks to its position at the southern edge of the equatorial low pressure belt. North-west monsoons deliver rain during the doldrum, while the southeastern trade winds also give rain for much of the year.[14] Cyclones have the potential to seriously effect the flora and fauna on the island. The 1989-90 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season caused damage to the islands, with Tropical Cyclone Walter hitting the island around the 13th of March 1990.[15] Extreme temperatures, however, are subdued by the influence of the Indian Ocean. Extremes only range from 32.8 °C (91.0 °F) on 23 February 2017 to 20.4 °C (68.7 °F) on 27 December 2018.
Climate data for Cocos Island Airport (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1998–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 32.2 (90.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.8 (91.0) |
31.6 (88.9) |
30.9 (87.6) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.0 (87.8) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.8 (91.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.1 (86.2) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.5 (85.1) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.8 (83.8) |
29.2 (84.6) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.5 (81.5) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.7 (80.1) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.1 (80.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 25.2 (77.4) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | 21.0 (69.8) |
21.8 (71.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
21.9 (71.4) |
21.2 (70.2) |
22.2 (72.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
20.9 (69.6) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.2 (70.2) |
21.6 (70.9) |
20.4 (68.7) |
20.4 (68.7) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 151.7 (5.97) |
207.1 (8.15) |
239.4 (9.43) |
249.3 (9.81) |
187.7 (7.39) |
187.3 (7.37) |
180.9 (7.12) |
102.4 (4.03) |
86.2 (3.39) |
84.8 (3.34) |
89.7 (3.53) |
121.4 (4.78) |
1,886.6 (74.28) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 10.2 | 12.2 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 14.7 | 11.1 | 8.4 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 8.6 | 135.0 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[16] |
See also
References
- ^ Dorling, Philip (1 November 2013). "Listening post revealed on Cocos Islands". Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
- ^ Home. Cocos Islands District High School. Retrieved on 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Administration Building Forecourt (Place ID 105356)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Direction Island (DI) Houses (Place ID 105358)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Government House (Place ID 105360)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Qantas Huts (former) (Place ID 105354)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "RAAF Memorial (Place ID 105353)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Type 2 Residences (Place ID 105357)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Type T Houses Precinct (Place ID 105408)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "West Island Elevated Houses (Place ID 105359)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "West Island Housing Precinct (Place ID 105223)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "West Island Mosque (Place ID 105219)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Weather & Tides | Cocos Keeling Islands". www.cocoskeelingislands.com.au. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ "Climate - DAWE". www.awe.gov.au. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ "Tropical Cyclone WALTER". australiasevereweather.com. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ "Cocos Island Airport Climate". Australian Bureau of Meteorology.