Coco Islands

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The Coco Islands (Burmese: ကိုကိုးကျွန်း, Kokò Kyùn) is a small chain of islands between Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They are under the jurisdiction of Thanlyin District of the Yangon Region, where they form a township, making them the least populous township in Myanmar.

Islands
There are four islands in the group, and only 2 are populated.
 * Preparis Island - Population: 136
 * Table Island
 * Great Coco Island - Population: 1832
 * Little Coco Island

Great Coco Island is the main island of the group, with 93% of the population, and the main town.

Administration
The islands are a part of Thanlyin District of the Yangon Region, even though the Ayeyarwady Region is the closest point to the islands on the mainland.

There have been calls from residents to put the islands under the jurisdiction of Pathein District in the Irrawaddy Region due to it's close proximity and transport connections.

Much of the island's population (almost half) lives and works at the military base on Great Coco Island.

There is currently a small dispute with Andaman and Nicobar about the ownership of the islands, but the issue is mostly forgotten.

Access
The islands can be accessed by plane or ferry from Yangon or Pathein. Much of the island's imports come from these cities as well.

History
The islands were used as a harsh penal colony by the British colonial government in Port Blair. Later, they were given to the colony of Burma.

After Burmese independence, the islands became home to a prison during early military rule. Afterwards, a military base was built on the islands.