Qibla · Cocos Islands
Qibla direction in West Island
To face the Kaaba in West Island, turn to 300.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is north-west (30.7° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 7,255 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in West Island should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 300.7°, the Qibla of West Island. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 301° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in West Island
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 30.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 300.7°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “west” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in West Island.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in West Island, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
On a flat (Mercator) map, the straight line from West Island to Mecca points to 301.0°, only 0.2° away from the true Qibla. Here the two methods practically agree, so a map gives a usable first idea, although the 300.7° bearing remains the exact one.
How is the figure of 300.7° obtained? From the coordinates of West Island (12.1568° S, 96.8225° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from West Island to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 7,255 km from West Island as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 7,423 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 9 h 02 min, although most pilgrims from West Island connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in West Island run 3.5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of West Island rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in West Island
On 251 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of West Island while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 1 March 2027 it happens at 12:45 local time.
On 114 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 10:39.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | 10:39 |
| 15 January 2027 | — | 11:02 |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 11:40 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 12:13 |
| 1 March 2027 | 12:45 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 13:16 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 13:53 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 14:23 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 14:57 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 15:25 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | 15:54 | — |
| 15 June 2027 | 16:09 | — |
| 1 July 2027 | 16:10 | — |
| 15 July 2027 | 15:58 | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 15:28 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 14:57 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | 14:13 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 13:35 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 12:51 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 12:13 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 11:31 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | 11:01 |
| 1 December 2027 | — | 10:37 |
| 15 December 2027 | — | 10:29 |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in West Island: at 15:48 and 15:57 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
West Island compared with other cities
See all cities on the Qibla page for Cocos Islands.
Qibla in West Island: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in West Island?
It is 300.7° from true north, which is north-west: 30.7° north of west.
How far is West Island from Mecca?
7,255 km in a straight line over the globe, and 7,423 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in West Island?
On 251 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Is the Qibla the same everywhere in Cocos Islands?
No. Every place has its own bearing, although nearby towns differ only slightly.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 300.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.