Geography of Christmas Island
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Territory of Christmas Island |
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|---|---|
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Anthem: Advance Australia Fair
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.svg) |
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| Status | External Territory |
| Capital and largest city |
Flying Fish Cove ("The Settlement") |
| Official languages | None |
| Mother languages | Chinese, Malay, English |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Demonym | Christmas Islander |
| Sovereign state | Australia |
| Government | Federal constitutional monarchy |
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• Monarch
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Elizabeth II |
|
Sir Peter Cosgrove |
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| Barry Haase | |
| Foo Kee Heng | |
| Establishment | |
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1957 |
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| Area | |
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• Total
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135 km2 (52 sq mi) |
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• Water (%)
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0 |
| Population | |
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• 2011 estimate
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2,072 (220th) |
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• Density
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10.39/km2 (26.9/sq mi) (n/a) |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) |
| Time zone | CXT (UTC+7) |
| Drives on the | left |
| Calling code | 61 |
| ISO 3166 code | CX |
| Internet TLD | .cx |
Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean, around 350 kilometres (220 mi) south of Java and around 1,550 kilometres (960 mi) north-west of the closest point on the Australian mainland. It has an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi).
Christmas Island has a population of just over 2,000 residents, the majority of whom live in settlements on the northern tip of the island. The main settlement is Flying Fish Cove. Around two-thirds of the island's population are Malaysian Chinese, with significant numbers of Malays and European Australians as well as smaller numbers of Malaysian Indians and Eurasians. Several languages are in use, including English, Malay, and various Chinese dialects, while Buddhism is the primary religion, practiced by three-quarters of the population.
The first European to sight the island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615. The island was later named on Christmas Day (25 December) 1643 by Captain William Mynors, but only settled in the late 19th century. Its geographic isolation and history of minimal human disturbance has led to a high level of endemism among its flora and fauna, which is of interest to scientists and naturalists. The majority (63 percent) of the island is included in the Christmas Island National Park, which features several areas of primary monsoonal forest. Phosphate, deposited originally as guano, has been mined on the island since 1899.
Located at 10°30′S 105°40′E / 10.500°S 105.667°E, the island is about 19 kilometres (12 mi) in greatest length and 14.5 km (9.0 mi) in breadth. The total land area is 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi), with 138.9 km (86.3 mi) of coastline. The island is the flat summit of an underwater mountain more than 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) high, which rises from about 4,200 m (13,780 ft) below the sea and only about 300 m (984 ft) above it. The mountain was originally a volcano, and some basalt is exposed in places such as The Dales and Dolly Beach, but most of the surface rock is limestone accumulated from coral growth. The karst terrain supports numerous anchialine caves. The summit of this mountain peak is formed by a succession of tertiary limestones ranging from the Eocene or Oligocene up to recent reef deposits, with intercalations of volcanic rock in the older beds.
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