It has a population of 1,403 inhabitants living in a series of "settlements" in the far north of the island: Flying Fish Cove (also known as Kampong), Silver City, Poon Saan and Drumsite.
The geographic isolation of the island and the history of the minimum human disturbance has led to a high endemism of the flora and fauna, which is very interested in the scientists and naturalists. 63% of the 135 square kilometers (52 square miles) is a national park in Australia. There are vast areas of primary forest in the Monsoon.
Phosphate, originally deposited as marine dead (no fertilizer often thought), was operated on the island for many years.
Discovery
Captain William Mynors of Santa María la Real, a ship of the British East India Company, the name of the island, he spent Christmas Day in the 1643rd The island was included in the UK charts and the Dutch already in the early seventeenth century, but it was not until 1666, when a card issued by the Dutch cartographer Pieter Goos including the island. Goos Mony called the island, whose meaning is clear. British navigator William Dampier on board the British ship Cygnet, made the first recorded visit to the island above sea marts 1688th He found abandoned. Dampier gave an account of the visit can be seen on his travels Dampier tried to go to Isla del Coco in New Holland. His boat was taken out of its course eastward, arriving at Christmas Island 28 days later. Dampier landed in the valley (west coast). Two of his crew were the first people recorded to set foot on Christmas Island.
The first attempt to explore the island in 1857 by the crew of the Amethyst. They tried to reach the top of the island, but found the cliffs impassable.
During the 1872-1876 Challenger expedition to Indonesia, naturalist John Murray carried out extensive studies.
Founded in 1887, Captain Maclear of HMS Flying Fish, which shows that the airline anchor bay of Cala fish, a party landed and made a small but interesting flora and fauna. The next year, Pelham Aldrich, on board HMS Egeria, who visited for ten days, accompanied by JJ Lister, who has assembled a large collection of mineralogy biological e.
Among the stones were collected and presented to Sir John Murray for examination were many of nearly pure phosphate of lime, a discovery that led to the annexation of the island by the British Crown, 6 Juni 1888th
The first attempt to explore the island in 1857 by the crew of the Amethyst. They tried to reach the summit of the island, but found the cliffs impassable.
In 1872-1876 the Challenger expedition to Indonesia, naturalist John Murray thoroughly investigated.
Founded in 1887, Captain Maclear of HMS Flying Fish, which shows that the airline Cala Anchor Bay fish, the party landed and made a small but interesting flora and fauna. The next year, Pelham Aldrich, on board HMS Egeria, who visited for ten days, accompanied by JJ Lister, who has compiled an extensive collection of mining biological e.
Among the stones were collected and presented by Sir John Murray for examination were a lot of nearly pure phosphate of lime, a discovery that led to connecting the island to the British crown, 6 June 1888
Japanese invasion
Since the outbreak of war in Southeast Asia in December 1941, Christmas Island a target of the Japanese occupation, due to its rich phosphate deposits. A naval gun was installed with a British officer and four officers and 27 Indian soldiers. The first attack took place January 20, 1942 by Japanese submarine I-59, a Norwegian freighter torpedoed at Eidsvold. The ship is operated and eventually sank off West White Beach. Most European and Asian officials and their families were evacuated to Perth. In late February and early March 1942, there were two air strikes. The bombing of a group of the Japanese navy conducted in March 7th District Manager to raise the white flag. But after the Japanese fleet sailed Group, the British officer went to the new Union flag. On the night of 10-11 March a mutiny by Indian soldiers have the involvement of Sikh police officers in the murder of five British soldiers and the imprisonment of the remaining 21 Europeans.
31. March, nine warships arrived in Japan and the island surrendered. About 850 man Special Forces Base 21 and 24, and 102 construction unit arrived on the coast and occupied the island. Bring workers, many of whom had fled into the jungle. Sabotage equipment was repaired and ready to continue the extraction and export of phosphates. Only 20 men 21 Special Force Base remained as an ornament.
Individual acts of sabotage and the torpedoing of the Nissei Maru, in the spring of 17 November 1942 means that only small amounts of phosphate were exported to Japan during the occupation. In November 1943, over 60% of the population of the island have been evacuated from Surabaya to prison camps, leaving a total population of less than 500 Chinese and 15 Malays, and the Japanese to survive better. In October 1945 HMS Rother, invasion of Christmas Island. After the war, seven rebels were tracked down and prosecuted the war in court in Singapore.