Australia
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
6.8km²
Area
35km
Coastline
18m
Highest point
147
People
29°C
Warmest sea
March
1,656km
To the mainland
When to go to West Island
Best for the beach in January and from August to November.
The sea is warmest in March (29 °C) and coolest in September (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Capital of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
West Island is an island in Australia. It covers 6.8 km², with 35 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 18 m. About 147 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,656 km away.
Getting there
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport (CCK)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at LEA airport (Exmouth)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 1,656 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- January and from August to Novemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on West Island.
- 3beachesTern Tree, Trannies Beach
- 1ferry terminals
- 1campsitesScout Park
- 6hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 4restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
West Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside West Island, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
28.6°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 5 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- West Island120 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Rain (mm) | 116 | 144 | 193 | 185 | 109 | 117 | 92 | 41 | 46 | 41 | 65 | 102 |
| Wet days | 14 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | 8.5 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.5 |
| Wind (km/h) | 18 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +0.2 | −0.6 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +0.5 | −0.2 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.1 |
| 2024 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +0.1 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +1.5 |
| 2025 | +0.8 | +0.5 | −0.2 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +1.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.5 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q48675) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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