The Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia. There are two atolls and twenty-seven coral islands in the group. The islands are located in the Indian Ocean, about one-half of the way from Australia to Sri Lanka, at 12°07′S 96°54′E.

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands consist of two flat, low-lying coral atolls with an area of 14.2 km² (5.4 sq. mi), 2.6 km (1.6 mi) of coastline, a highest elevation of 5 m (16 ft) and thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation. The climate is pleasant, modified by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year and with moderate rainfall. Cyclones may occur in the early months of the year.

North Keeling Island is an atoll consisting of just one C-shaped island, a nearly closed atoll ring with a small opening into the lagoon, about 50 m (165 ft) wide, on the East side. The island measures 1.1 km² (272 acres) in land area and is uninhabited. The lagoon is about 0.5 km² (124 acres). North Keeling Island and the surrounding sea to 1.5 km from shore form the Pulu Keeling National Park, established on 12 December 1995.

South Keeling Islands is an atoll consisting of twenty-six individual islets forming an incomplete atoll ring, with a total land area of 13.1 km² (5.1 sq mi). Only Home Island and West Island are populated. People from Home Island maintain weekend shacks on the lagoon shore of South Island and on some of the smaller islands.

There are no rivers or lakes on either atoll; fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs.

Cocos (Keeling) Island is located on almost exactly the opposite side of the globe as Cocos Island, Costa Rica.

The terrestrial fauna of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is unsurprisingly depauperate, because of the small land area of the islands, their lack of diverse habitats, and their isolation from large land-masses. However, the fauna dependent on marine resources is much richer.

As a small and isolated group of islands in two atolls 24 km apart in the eastern Indian Ocean, the number of species of resident landbirds (as opposed to seabirds and waders) is very small. These comprise the endemic subspecies of Buff-banded Rail, the introduced Green Junglefowl and Helmeted Guineafowl, the White-breasted Waterhen, Eastern Reef Egret, Nankeen Night-Heron and the introduced Christmas Island White-eye. Four other introduced species are now extinct in the Islands. Several other landbird species have been recorded occasionally, but none has established a breeding population.

Migratory waders recorded in the islands include some regular visitors as well as vagrants. None breeds there. However, North Keeling is important for breeding seabirds, with sizeable numbers of Red-footed Booby, Great and Lesser Frigatebirds, Common Noddy and White Tern. Other breeding seabirds include Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Red-tailed and White-tailed Tropicbirds, and Sooty Tern. It is possible that the Herald Petrel breeds there as well.

There are no native land mammals. Two species of rodent, the House Mouse and Black Rat, have been introduced to the southern atoll but are absent from North Keeling. Rabbits were introduced but have become extinct. Two species of Asian deer, Indian muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, and Sambar Cervus unicolor, were introduced but did not persist. Marine mammals recorded stranding on, or seen passing by, the islands include:

	Sirenia
	Dugong - seen in the lagoon of the southern atoll
	Cetacea
	Bottlenose Dolphin
	Common Dolphin
	Pilot Whale
	Humpback Whale
	Cuvier's Beaked Whale
	Sperm Whale

	Gekkonidae
	Mourning Gecko
	Four-clawed gecko
	House Gecko
	Typhlopidae
	Blind Snake

	Hydrophiidae
	Yellow-bellied Sea-Snake
	Banded Sea Krait
	Chelonioidea
	Green Turtle
	Hawksbill Turtle
	Olive Ridley Turtle
	Loggerhead Turtle
	Leatherback Turtle

Over 500 species of fish have been recorded around the islands.