2015 Edition

Background

Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888 with the discovery of the island's phosphate deposits. Following the Second World War, Christmas Island came under the jurisdiction of the new British Colony of Singapore. The island existed as a separate Crown colony from 1 January 1958 to 1 October 1958 when its transfer to Australian jurisdiction was finalized. That date is still celebrated on the first Monday in October as Territory Day. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.

Area

land

135 sq km

total

135 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds

Coastline

138.9 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Murray Hill 361 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining

Geographic coordinates

10 30 S, 105 40 E

Geography - note

located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%

agricultural land

0%

other

100% (mainly tropical reainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2011 est.)

Location

Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia

Map references

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

12 nm

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard

Natural resources

phosphate, beaches

Terrain

steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau

Ethnic groups

Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%

note

no indigenous population (2001)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

NA

male

NA

total

NA

Languages

English (official), Chinese, Malay

Life expectancy at birth

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Nationality

adjective

Christmas Island

noun

Christmas Islander(s)

Population

1,530 (July 2014 est.)

Population growth rate

1.11% (2014 est.)

Religions

Buddhist 16.9%, Christian 16.4%, Muslim 14.8%, other 1.3%, none 9.2%, unspecified 41.5% (2011 est.)

Sex ratio

NA (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate

NA

Administrative divisions

none (territory of Australia)

Capital

geographic coordinates

10 25 S, 105 43 E

name

The Settlement

time difference

UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see Australia

Constitution

1 October 1958 (Christmas Island Act 1958); amended many times, last in 2010 (Territories Law Reform Act 2010) (2015)

Country name

conventional long form

Territory of Christmas Island

conventional short form

Christmas Island

etymology

named after its discovery on Christmas Day (25 December 1643)

Dependency status

non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (territory of Australia)

Executive branch

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia General Sir Peter COSGROVE (since28 March 2014)

elections/appointments

the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Australian prime minister; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia for a 2-year term and represents the monarch and Australia

head of government

Administrator Jon STANHOPE (since 5 October 2012)

Flag description

territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed; the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island

note

the flag of Australia is used for official purposes

Government type

NA

Independence

none (territory of Australia)

International organization participation

none

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

under the terms of the Territorial Law Reform Act 1992, Western Australia provides court services as needed for the island including the Supreme Court and subordinate courts (District Court, Magistrate Court, Family Court, Children's Court, and Coroners' Court)

Legal system

legal system is under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms with a portion of the membership renewed every 2 years)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9

elections

held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held In 2011 (next to be held in 2013)

National anthem

note

as a territory of Australia, "Advance Australia Fair" remains official as the national anthem, while "God Save the Queen" serves as the royal anthem (see Australia)

National holiday

Australia Day, 26 January (1788)

National symbol(s)

golden bosun bird

Political parties and leaders

none

Political pressure groups and leaders

none

Suffrage

18 years of age

Agriculture - products

NA

Budget

expenditures

$NA

revenues

$NA

Economy - overview

The main economic activities on Christmas Island are the mining of low grade phosphate, limited tourism, the provision of government services and more recently the construction and operation of the Immigration Detention Center. The government sector includes administration, health, education, policing, customs, quarantine and defense.

Exchange rates

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -

1.1094 (2014)

1.0358 (2013)

0.97 (2012)

0.9695 (2011)

1.0902 (2010)

Exports

$NA

Exports - commodities

phosphate

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$NA

Imports

$NA

Imports - commodities

consumer goods

Industries

tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)

Labor force

NA

Broadcast media

1 community radio station; satellite broadcasts of several Australian radio and TV stations (2009)

Internet country code

.cx

Internet users

percent of population

16.7% (2001)

total

464

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)

Telephone system

domestic

GSM mobile-cellular telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005

general assessment

service provided by the Australian network

international

country code - 61-8; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat provides telephone and telex service) (2005)

Television broadcast stations

0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006)

Airports

1 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 (2013)

total

1

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Flying Fish Cove

Railways

standard gauge

18 km 1.435-m (not in operation) (2010)

total

18 km

Roadways

paved

30 km

total

140 km

unpaved

110 km (2011)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Disputes - international

none