Christmas Island

Overview

Christmas Island lies in the Indian Ocean, about 350 kilometers south of Indonesia but more than 2,600 kilometers from mainland Australia, and is administered as an Australian external territory. The island was named by British sea captain William Mynors on December 25, 1643, though it remained uninhabited until the late 19th century, when it was settled for phosphate mining. Most of the population is of Chinese and Malay descent, originally recruited for mining work, making it unique among Australia's external territories for having a majority Asian population. The official language is English, and the island falls directly under the administration of the Australian federal government.

Flying Fish Cove, the island's main settlement and harbor, hosts most commercial and administrative facilities and serves as the island's historic settlement center. Christmas Island National Park, covering about 63 percent of the island's area, protects rainforest and the island's distinctive wildlife. The island's former phosphate mining facilities and related industrial heritage remain tangible reminders of the settlement's history. The Dales, an area of limestone valleys and streams, is one of the more accessible, densely forested sections of the island's rainforest.

Christmas Island's best-known natural phenomenon is the annual mass migration of red crabs (Gecarcoidea natalis), when tens of millions of crabs leave the rainforest for the coast to breed between October and December, at the start of the wet season, temporarily overwhelming roads and settlements. The clear waters and coral-lined seafloor around the island offer excellent diving opportunities, with whale sharks observable during certain months. Local cuisine blends Chinese, Malay, and Australian influences, with Asian-style noodle and rice dishes dominating local markets and restaurants.