Googling the GRA earlier this week, I found www.gra.cc.
So I wondered, ‘what does .cc stand for?’
It’s the two-letter country code for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, two atolls and 27 coral islands in the Indian Ocean.
In 1609 Captain William Keeling was the first European to see the islands, which remained uninhabited until John Clunes-Ross set up a coconut plantation, using slave labour, in 1827. Thirty years later, they were annexed by the British empire.
Today, coconuts remain their only cash crop, with tourism the other major industry to sustain the population of less than one thousand.
Clunes-Ross assumed the title King of the Cocos Islands, until 1978 when ‘King Ross V’ sold the islands to Australia.
The islands make brief appearances in world history. Charles Darwin visited in 1836, and studied the coral formations, and the first naval battle of World War I took place in nearby waters.
Pulu Panjang – West island – has an area of only 6.23 sq km, its highest point only 9m above sea level.
Some islands have an area of 0.00 sq km, and Wikipedia notes that ‘the islands with zero area have vanished.’
Still think global warming is a myth?
