Christmas Island is located 2,300 km north-west of Perth and 400 km south of Java. The island measures 135 sq km and has a population of about 1,400. The island is the summit of a submarine mountain that rises steeply to a central plateau 361 metres. Christmas Island is surrounded by a narrow tropical reef which plunges steeply to the ocean floor.
Christmas Island experiences a tropical equatorial climate with wet and dry seasons. The wet season is from December to April when the island comes under the influence of the north-west monsoons. During the rest of the year the south-east trade winds bring slightly lower temperatures and humidity, and much less rain to the island.
Christmas Island is famous for red crabs and their migration across the island, which often causes havoc with the residents by blocking roads. This abundance of land crabs is not matched by any other island and has been described as one of the wonders of the natural world. The crabs migrate to the sea to spawn each year in synchronisation with the moon. 60% of the island has been declared a National Park.
History
Christmas Island was named on Christmas Day 1643 by Captain William Mynors, the master of a passing ship. The first landing was recorded by William Dampier in 1688. For the next two centuries, little interest was shown in the island due to its rugged coastline.
It was annexed by Britain in 1888 following the discovery of phosphate deposits resulting from thousands of years of bird droppings.
Christmas Island was occupied by Japanese forces from March 1942 until the end of the World War ll and in 1946 became a dependency of Singapore. By agreement with the United Kingdom, sovereignty was transferred to Australia on 1 October 1958.
Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands together are called the Australian Indian Ocean Territories and since 1997 share a single Administrator resident on Christmas Island.
The extensive phosphate deposits on Christmas Island have been mined for many years. The Phosphate Mining Corporation of Christmas Island ceased business in late 1987. The mine was reopened in 1990 by a local consortium. Mining of phosphate is a large contributor to the island's economy; however the focus is moving more towards tourism and related industries.
Refugee and immigration detention
From the late 1980s and early 1990s, boats carrying asylum seekers and mainly departing from Indonesia landed on the island. During 2001, a large number of mostly Middle Eastern persons landed with the intent to apply for asylum in Australia.
In 2001, the Australian government stopped a Norwegian ship, MV Tampa, from disembarking 438 rescued asylum seekers at Christmas Island. The ensuing standoff and the associated political reactions in Australia were a major issue in the 2001 Australian federal election.
Figure 64 - Christmas Island
Figure 65 – Phosphate Train problems
Figure 66 – Red Crabs on the move (Both NGM)
Figure 67 – The Crabs of Christmas Island (Source: National Geographic Magazine)
