Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is located approximately 350 kilometres (190 nautical miles) south of Java and Sumatra and about 1,550 km (840 nmi) north-west of the closest point on the Australian mainland. With an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi),[8] Christmas Island's 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.[9] The territory derives its name from its discovery on Christmas Day 1643 by Captain William Mynors.

The first European to sight Christmas Island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615. Captain William Mynors named it on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643. It was first settled in the late 19th century, after abundant phosphate deposits were found, originally deposited as guano, leading Britain to annex the island in 1888, and begin commercial mining in 1899. [10] Christmas Island was invaded by the Japanese in 1942 to secure its phosphate deposits, and transferred from Singapore to Australia, where it remains, in 1958.

Christmas Island had a population of 1,692 residents as of 2021[update],[5] with the majority living in settlements on the northern edge of the island. The main settlement is Flying Fish Cove. Historically, Asian Australians of Chinese, Malay, and Indian descent formed the majority of the population.[11][12] Today, around two-thirds of the island's population is estimated to have Straits Chinese origin (though just 22.2% of the population declared a Chinese ancestry in 2021),[5] with significant numbers of Malays and European Australians and smaller numbers of Straits Indians and Eurasians. Several languages are in use including English, Malay, and various Chinese dialects.

Religious beliefs vary geographically. The Anglo-Celtic influence in the capital known simply as The Settlement is closely tied to Catholicism, whereas in the Poon Saan area Buddhism is common, and Sunni Islam is generally observed in the shoreline water village where the Malays live.[13]

The majority (63%) of the island is made up of Christmas Island National Park, which features several areas of primary monsoonal forest.