Christmas Island

Background

Although Europeans sighted Christmas Island in 1615, it was named for the day of its rediscovery in 1643. Steep cliffs and dense jungle hampered attempts to explore the island over the next two centuries. The discovery of phosphate on the island in 1887 led to the UK annexing it the following year. In 1898, 200 Chinese indentured servants were brought in to work the mines, along with Malays, Sikhs, and a small number of Europeans. The UK administered Christmas Island from Singapore.

Japan invaded the island in 1942, but islanders sabotaged Japanese mining operations, making the mines relatively unproductive. After World War II, Australia and New Zealand bought the company mining the phosphate, and in 1958, the UK transferred sovereignty from Singapore to Australia in exchange for $20 million to compensate for the loss of future phosphate income. In 1980, Australia set up the Christmas Island National Park and expanded its boundaries throughout the 1980s until it covered more than 60% of the island’s territory. The phosphate mine was closed in 1987 because of environmental concerns, and Australia has rejected several efforts to reopen it.

In the 1980s, boats of asylum seekers started landing on Christmas Island, and the migrants claimed refugee status because they were on Australian territory. In 2001, Australia declared Christmas Island to be outside the Australian migration zone and built an immigration detention center on the island. Completed in 2008, the controversial detention center was closed in 2018 but then reopened in 2019. In 2020, the center served as a coronavirus quarantine facility for Australian citizens evacuated from China.

Area

Climate

characterized by a tropical climate featuring a wet period from December to April and a dry period; heat and humidity are tempered by trade winds

Terrain

steep coastal cliffs rise sharply to meet the central plateau

Land use

Location

Southeast Asia, an island situated in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia

Coastline

138.9 km

Elevation

Irrigated land

NA

Map references

Southeast Asia

Land boundaries

Maritime claims

Natural hazards

the narrow fringing reef that encircles the island may pose a maritime risk

Geography - note

positioned along significant maritime routes in the Indian Ocean

Natural resources

phosphate resources, coastal beaches

Area - comparative

approximately three-quarters the area of Washington, D.C.

Geographic coordinates

10 30 S, 105 40 E

Population distribution

the majority of the inhabitants reside at the northern end of the island

Languages

English (official) 27.6%, Mandarin 17.2%, Malay 17.1%, Cantonese 3.9%, Min Nan 1.6%, Tagalog 1%, other 4.5%, unspecified 27.1% (2016 estimate)

Religions

Muslim 19.4%, Buddhist 18.3%, Roman Catholic 8.8%, Protestant 6.5% (includes Anglican 3.6%, Uniting Church 1.2%, other 1.7%), other Christian 3.3%, other 0.6%, none 15.3%, unspecified 27.7% (2016 est.)

Median age

Population

Nationality

Age structure

Ethnic groups

Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% (2001)

Population growth rate

1.11% (2014 est.)

Population distribution

the largest portion of the population resides at the northern end of the island

Climate

characterized by a tropical climate featuring a wet season from December to April and a dry season; the heat and humidity are alleviated by trade winds

Land use

Environmental issues

deterioration of rainforest ecosystems; effects of phosphate extraction

Flag

description: territorial flag; sectioned diagonally from the upper left to the lower right; the upper triangle is green featuring a yellow silhouette of the golden bosun bird; the lower triangle is blue displaying the Southern Cross constellation, a symbol of Australia; a centered yellow circle presents a green outline of the island

Capital

Suffrage

18 years of age

Citizenship

see Australia

Constitution

Country name

Independence

none (territory of Australia)

Legal system

the system operates under the jurisdiction of the governor general of Australia and Australian law

Government type

non-self-governing overseas territory of Australia

Judicial branch

Executive branch

National holiday

Australia Day (marks the arrival of the First Fleet of Australian settlers), 26 January (1788)

Dependency status

non-self-governing territory of Australia; governed from Canberra by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities & Regional Development

Political parties

none

Legislative branch

National anthem(s)

National symbol(s)

golden bosun bird

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US

International organization participation

none

Industries

tourism, phosphate mining (approaching depletion)

Exchange rates

Economic overview

affluent Australian territorial economy; growth fueled by government services and phosphate extraction; houses Australia’s Immigration Detention Centre; rising tourism and public sector investments; ongoing environmental safeguards

Exports - partners

Indonesia 30%, USA 26%, Malaysia 12%, Ireland 8%, UK 7% (2023)

Imports - partners

USA 58%, Australia 40%, Malaysia 1%, Fiji 0%, Singapore 0% (2023)

Exports - commodities

fertilizers, paintings, amine compounds (2023)

Imports - commodities

aircraft, refined petroleum, automobiles, air conditioning units, plastic goods (2023)

Internet users

Broadcast media

One community radio station; satellite transmissions of numerous Australian radio and television stations (2017)

Internet country code

.cx

Ports

Airports

1 (2025)

Railways

Military - note

The obligation for defense lies with Australia.