10°29′24″S 105°37′39″E / 10.49000°S 105.62750°E / -10.49000; 105.62750
73-499: Poon Saan is the second largest village on Christmas Island , an external territory of Australia . It is administrated as part of the island capital - Flying Fish Cove . Ethnic Chinese make up the majority of inhabitants. In Cantonese , Poon Saan ( 半山 , Jyutping : bun3 saan1 ) means "halfway up the hill". The architecture of Poon Saan reflects the Chinese heritage of the majority of residents in being Singapore style units, rather than
146-475: A dozen Japanese bomber aircraft launched an attack, destroying the radio station. The same day, a Japanese fleet of nine vessels arrived, and the island was surrounded. About 850 men of the Japanese 21st and 24th Special Base Forces and 102nd Construction Unit came ashore at Flying Fish Cove and occupied the island. They rounded up the workforce, most of whom had fled to the jungle. Sabotaged equipment
219-575: A language. Religion in Christmas Island (2021) Note that some statistical noise is added to the publicly released census data, in order to protect residents' privacy. Religious practices differ by geography across the island and effectively correspond to the island's three primary settlements: the capital (known simply as The Settlement), the Cantonese area Poon Saan , and the Malay water village which
292-651: A mechanical engineer and recent graduate of Purdue University , was sent to supervise the operation on behalf of the Phosphate Mining and Shipping Company. Murray was known as the "King of Christmas Island" until 1910, when he married and settled in London. The island was administered jointly by the British Phosphate commissioners and district officers from the United Kingdom Colonial Office through
365-433: A mosque but it is in a state of decay and disrepair with rotting timbers and cracks. Other smaller and less geographically concentrated groups include Anglicans who make up 3.6%, Uniting Church adherents who make up 1.2%, other Protestants who make up 1.7%, and other Christian groups with 3.3%. Other religious communities collectively constitute 0.6% of the island's population. As an external territory of Australia ,
438-403: A population of 1,692 residents as of 2021 , 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. Today, around two-thirds of the island's population is estimated to have Straits Chinese origin (though just 22.2% of
511-678: A small settlement was established in Flying Fish Cove by G. Clunies Ross , the owner of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands some 900 kilometres (560 mi) to the southwest, to collect timber and supplies for the growing industry on Cocos. In 1897 the island was visited by Charles W. Andrews , who did extensive research on the natural history of the island, on behalf of the British Museum . Phosphate mining began in 1899 using indentured workers from Singapore, British Malaya , and China. John Davis Murray,
584-429: A total coverage of 744,000 square kilometres (287,000 sq mi). The park will help to protect spawning of bluefin tuna from illegal international fishers, but local people will be allowed to practise fishing sustainably inshore in order to source food. Christmas Island lies near the southern edge of the equatorial region. It has a tropical monsoon climate ( Köppen Am ) and temperatures vary little throughout
657-764: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 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 . It has an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi). The territory derives its name from its discovery on Christmas Day 1643 by Captain William Mynors . Christmas Island had
730-499: Is a small supermarket and several restaurants, the Malays live in their coastal kampong , and the Chinese reside in Poon Saan ( Cantonese for "in the middle of the hill"). The main languages spoken at home on Christmas Island, according to respondents, are English (28%), Mandarin (17%), Malay (17%), with smaller numbers of speakers of Cantonese (4%) and Hokkien (2%). 27% did not specify
803-477: Is at the discretion of the federal government. The act also gives Western Australian courts judicial power over Christmas Island. Christmas Island remains constitutionally distinct from Western Australia, however; the power of the state to legislate for the territory is delegated by the federal government. The kind of services typically provided by a state government elsewhere in Australia are provided by departments of
SECTION 10
#1732845684083876-587: Is commonplace. Traditional Cantonese folk practices also are represented in this area. Chinese temples and shrines include seven Buddhist temples (like Guan Yin Monastery (观音寺) at Gaze Road), ten Taoist temples (like Soon Tian Kong (顺天宫) in South Point and Grants Well Guan Di Temple) and shrines dedicated to Na Tuk Kong or Datuk Keramat on the island. Malays who have settled on the island's edge in their shoreline kampong tend to follow Sunni Islam. The kampong has
949-500: Is mainly tropical rainforest , 63% of which is national parkland. The narrow fringing reef surrounding the island poses a maritime hazard. Christmas Island lies 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) northwest of Perth , Western Australia, 350 km (220 mi) south of Indonesia, 975 km (606 mi) east-northeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and 2,748 km (1,708 mi) west of Darwin , Northern Territory. Its closest point to
1022-508: Is referred to often as the Kampong . Due to the large numbers of English and Australians who make up the bulk of the island's capital, there is a strong Anglo-Celtic influence in The Settlement which has contributed to the strong presence of Catholicism. This has been further reinforced by recent Filipino arrivals. In the Poon Saan area, which functions like the island's Chinatown, Buddhism
1095-483: Is thought responsible for killing up to 30 million of the park's crabs. While the red crab is Christmas Island's most numerous crab, the island also hosts the world's largest population of coconut crab ( Birgus latro ), the world's largest land invertebrate . There may be as many as one million coconut crabs on Christmas Island. It is also home to several species each of hermit crab , grapsids and gecarcinucoidea . There are six species of reptile native to
1168-648: The 2019 federal election , the Labor Party received majorities from Christmas Island electors in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. While there is no permanent Australian military presence on Christmas Island, the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Border Force deploy Cape and Armidale -class patrol boats to conduct surveillance and counter-migrant smuggling patrols in adjacent waters. As of 2023,
1241-508: The Australian Defence Force for the purpose of acting as a forward operating base for Australian surveillance and electronic warfare aircraft in the region. Christmas Island National Park Christmas Island National Park is a national park occupying most of Christmas Island , an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean southwest of Indonesia . The park is home to many species of animal and plant life, including
1314-431: The Indian Ocean . All have been showing decline in recent years. A further five species of reptile have been reported, but all were introduced by human activity: the barking gecko ( Hemidactylus frenatus ), house gecko ( Gehyra mutilata ), black blind snake ( Ramphotyphlops braminus ), wolf snake ( Lycodon aulicus capucinus ) and grass skink ( Subdoluseps bowringii ). There are three species of mammal native to
1387-475: The Poon Saan area Buddhism is common, and Sunni Islam is generally observed in the shoreline water village where the Malays live. The religion question in the Australian census is optional, and 28% of the population do not declare their religious belief. 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
1460-508: The Rudd government decommissioned Manus Regional Processing Centre and Nauru detention centre ; processing would then occur on Christmas Island itself. In December 2010, 48 asylum-seekers died just off the coast of the island in what became known as the Christmas Island boat disaster when their boat hit the rocks near Flying Fish Cove, and then smashed against nearby cliffs. In
1533-669: The Straits Settlements , and later the Crown Colony of Singapore . Hunt (2011) provides a detailed history of Chinese indentured labour on the island during those years. In 1922, scientists unsuccessfully attempted to view a solar eclipse in late September from the island to test Albert Einstein 's theory of relativity . From the outbreak of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II in December ;1941, Christmas Island
SECTION 20
#17328456840831606-675: The Western Australian government provides many services as established by the Christmas Island Act. The Australian government provides services through the Christmas Island Administration and the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Under the federal government's Christmas Island Act 1958 , Western Australian laws are applied to Christmas Island; non-application or partial application of such laws
1679-409: The great cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo ). Others, like the lesser frigatebird ( Fregata ariel ), are more regular visitors. Bird populations are threatened due to the invasive yellow crazy ant, and reports have suggested that the ant has attacked hatchlings and harassed adults in their nests. All endemic bird species have been placed on the critically endangered list. The dominant vegetation on
1752-527: The "number of structures associated with the inception and development of the union movement on Christmas Island", while the cinema was considered significant for its role as a venue for mass meetings and as "an uncommon example of a relatively intact outdoor cinema". The Phosphate Hill Historic Area , 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the settlement is also listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List. This Christmas Island geography article
1825-455: The Australian mainland is 1,550 km (960 mi) from the town of Exmouth , Western Australia. Only small parts of the shoreline are easily accessible. The island's perimeter is dominated by sharp cliff faces, making many of the island's beaches difficult to get to. Some of the easily accessible beaches include Flying Fish Cove (main beach), Lily Beach, Ethel Beach, and Isabel Beach, while
1898-635: The European and Asian staff and their families were evacuated to Perth . In late February and early March 1942, there were two aerial bombing raids. Shelling from a Japanese naval group on 7 March led the district officer to hoist the white flag . But after the Japanese naval group sailed away, the British officer raised the Union Flag once more. During the night of 10–11 March, mutinous Indian troops, abetted by Sikh policemen, killed an officer and
1971-532: The Immigration Department stated that there were 2,960 "irregular maritime arrivals" being held in the island's five detention facilities, which exceeded not only the "regular operating capacity" of 1,094 people, but also the "contingency capacity" of 2,724. The Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre closed in September 2018. The Morrison government announced it would re-open
2044-446: The Navy's Armidale -class boats are in the process of being replaced by larger Arafura -class offshore patrol vessels . The airfield on Christmas Island has a 2100m long runway while that on Cocos (West Island, 1,000 km, 620 mi to the west) is 2,400 m (7,900 ft) in length. Both airfields have scheduled jet services, however, the airfield on Cocos is being upgraded by
2117-588: The Western Australian government, and by contractors, with the costs met by the federal government. A unicameral Shire of Christmas Island with nine seats provides local government services and is elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. Elections are held every two years, with four or five of the members standing for election. As of 2024 women held one of the nine seats in the Christmas Island Shire Council . Its second president
2190-757: The Western style common in Flying Fish Cove . The Java sparrow has become established on the island with populations near Poon Saan. An area of the settlement, including the Poon Saan Club, Union of Christmas Island Workers office, cinema and several residential blocks, is listed on the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List as the "Poon Saan Group" for its "significance to the Chinese population", "architectural styles imported from Singapore and rarely found in other parts of Australia", and for
2263-628: The case Plaintiff M61/2010E v Commonwealth of Australia , the High Court of Australia ruled, in a 7–0 joint judgment, that asylum seekers detained on Christmas Island were entitled to the protections of the Migration Act. Accordingly, the Commonwealth was obliged to afford asylum seekers a minimum of procedural fairness when assessing their claims. As of 20 June 2013 , after the interception of four boats in six days, carrying 350 people,
Poon Saan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-611: The centre in February the following year, after Australia's parliament passed legislation giving sick asylum seekers easier access to mainland hospitals. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic , the government opened parts of the Immigration Reception and Processing Centre to be used as a quarantine facility to accommodate Australian citizens who had been in Wuhan , the point of origin of
2409-401: The effect of phosphate mining on the flora and fauna of Christmas Island. A particular focus was on the habitat of Abbott's booby ( Papasula abbotti ), which appeared in danger of extinction. In 1974 a governmental committee examined the environmental impact of mining and other commercial activities and advised on measures to protect the island. The committee's recommendation that an area of
2482-418: The eponymous red crab , whose annual migration sees around 100 million crabs move to the sea to spawn. Christmas Island is the only nesting place for the endangered Abbott's booby and critically endangered Christmas Island frigatebird , and the wide range of other endemic species makes the island of significant interest to the scientific community. Concerns were expressed in the early 1970s about
2555-505: The flora and fauna. In the next year, Pelham Aldrich , on board HMS Egeria , visited the island for 10 days, accompanied by J. J. Lister , who gathered a larger biological and mineralogical collection. Among the rocks then obtained and submitted to Murray for examination were many of nearly pure phosphate of lime . This discovery led to annexation of the island by the British Crown on 6 June 1888. Soon afterwards,
2628-558: The four British NCOs in their quarters as they were sleeping. "Afterwards all Europeans on the island, including the district officer, who governed it, were lined up by the Indians and told they were going to be shot. But after a long discussion between the district officer and the leaders of the mutineers the executions were postponed and the Europeans were confined under armed guard in the district officer's house". At dawn on 31 March 1942,
2701-533: The island be set aside for conservation was implemented in a series of measures culminating in the establishment of the Christmas Island National Park on 21 February 1980 under the terms of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 . The park initially covered the south-west corner of the island, and was extended in 1986 and 1989 to include most of the rainforest on the island. Today
2774-460: The island could not apply for refugee status . Asylum seekers were relocated from Christmas Island to Manus Island and Nauru . In 2006, an immigration detention centre , containing approximately 800 beds, was constructed on the island for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs . Originally estimated to cost A$ 276 million, the final cost was over $ 400 million. In 2007,
2847-501: The island is rainforest . Approximately 200 species of native flowering plant are to be found on Christmas Island. There are no mangroves on the park's coast. However, a stand of the normally estuarine mangrove species, Bruguiera gymnorhiza and B. sexangula , is found approximately 50 m (160 ft) above sea level, at Hosnies Spring . The park is managed by the Director of National Parks whose duties include protection of
2920-410: The island is generally poor, punctuated by limestone pinnacles, and tends to dehydrate during the dry season. The limestone is fractured and has created a substantial cave system. There are both water-filled and dry caves. Christmas Island's two Ramsar sites , The Dales and Hosnies Spring , are contained within the park. Both the waters surrounding the island and its land surface are fecund, and
2993-488: The island since 1899. The first European to sight the island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615. Captain William Mynors of the East India Company vessel Royal Mary named the island when he sailed past it on Christmas Day in 1643. The island was included on English and Dutch navigation charts early in the 17th century, but it was not until 1666 that a map published by Dutch cartographer Pieter Goos included
Poon Saan - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-551: The island's interests." John William Stokes succeeded Nickels and served from 1 October 1960, to 12 June 1966. On his departure, he was lauded by all sectors of the island community. In 1968, the official secretary was retitled an administrator and, since 1997, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands together are called the Australian Indian Ocean Territories and share a single administrator resident on Christmas Island. The settlement of Silver City
3139-554: The island's population were evacuated to Surabaya prison camps, leaving a population of just under 500 Chinese and Malays and 15 Japanese to survive as best they could. In October 1945, HMS Rother re-occupied Christmas Island. After the war, seven mutineers were traced and prosecuted by the Military Court in Singapore. In 1947, five of them were sentenced to death . However, following representations made by
3212-541: The island. Goos labelled the island "Mony" or "Moni", the meaning of which is unclear. English navigator William Dampier , aboard the privateer Charles Swan 's ship Cygnet , made the earliest recorded visit to the sea around the island in March 1688. In writing his account, he found the island uninhabited. Dampier was trying to reach Cocos from New Holland . His ship was blown off course in an easterly direction, arriving at Christmas Island 28 days later. Dampier landed on
3285-553: The island. In 2001, Christmas Island was the site of the Tampa controversy , in which the Australian government stopped a Norwegian ship, MV Tampa , from disembarking 438 rescued asylum-seekers. The ensuing standoff and the associated political reactions in Australia were a major issue in the 2001 Australian federal election . The Howard government operated the " Pacific Solution " from 2001 to 2007, excising Christmas Island from Australia's migration zone so that asylum seekers on
3358-440: The low water line. Approximately 46 km (29 mi) of the island's 73 km (45 mi) shoreline is within the park limits. Many stretches of the shoreline are marked by rock platforms, which are filled by wave splashes to create rock pools . Sea cliffs, up to 60 m (200 ft) high in places, rise steeply from the sea and form a series of stepped terraces, the lower cliffs of which are higher and steeper. Soil on
3431-447: The majority of Christmas Islanders were those of Chinese, Malay and Indian origins, the initial permanent settlers. Today, the plurality of residents are Chinese , with significant numbers of European Australians and Malays as well as a smaller Indian community, alongside more recent Filipino arrivals. Since the turn of the 21st century and right up to the present, Europeans have mainly confined themselves to The Settlement, where there
3504-468: The more difficult beaches to access include Greta Beach, Dolly Beach, Winifred Beach, Merrial Beach, and West White Beach, which all require a vehicle with four wheel drive and a difficult walk through dense rainforest. The volcanic island is the flat summit of an underwater mountain more than 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) high, which rises from about 4,200 m (13,780 ft) below the sea and only about 300 m (984 ft) above it. The mountain
3577-611: The newly independent government of India, their sentences were reduced to penal servitude for life . The United Kingdom transferred sovereignty of Christmas Island to Australia at the latter's request, with a $ 20 million payment from the Australian government to Singapore as compensation for the loss of earnings from the phosphate revenue. The United Kingdom's Christmas Island Act was given royal assent on 14 May 1958 by Queen Elizabeth II, enabling Britain to transfer authority over Christmas Island from Singapore to Australia by an order-in-council. Australia's Christmas Island Act
3650-641: The older beds. Reefs near the islands have healthy coral and are home to several rare species of marine life. The region, along with the Cocos (Keeling) Islands reefs, have been described as "Australia's Galapagos Islands ". In the 2021 budget the Australian Government committed $ A39.1M to create two new marine parks off Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The parks will cover up to 740,000 square kilometres (290,000 sq mi) of Australian waters. After months of consultation with local people, both parks were approved in March 2022, with
3723-498: The pandemic. The evacuees arrived on 3 February. They left 14 days later to their homes on the mainland. The island is about 19 kilometres (12 mi) in greatest length and 14.5 km (9.0 mi) in breadth. The total land area is 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi), with 138.9 km (86.3 mi) of coastline. Steep cliffs along much of the coast rise abruptly to a central plateau. Elevation ranges from sea level to 361 m (1,184 ft) at Murray Hill . The island
SECTION 50
#17328456840833796-471: The park covers approximately 85 km (33 sq mi), or 63% of the island. Christmas Island consists of an uplifted limestone cap metamorphosed from coral reefs overlying more ancient volcanic andesite bedrock. The underlying seamount lies some 500 km (310 mi) southwest of Indonesia, and the isolation by the abyssal zone has led to endemism amongst the marine ecosystem. The park's boundaries extend 50 m (160 ft) beyond
3869-408: The park exhibits a high level of biodiversity with many endemic species . The island is particularly noted for its prodigious populations of Christmas Island red crabs ( Gecarcoidea natalis ), whose mass migrations at spawning time may number over a hundred million individuals. The bright red carapaces and sheer density of crabs make their routes to the sea observable from the air. Nonetheless,
3942-414: The park, of which five are endemic: the giant gecko ( Cyrtodactylus sadlieri ), the Christmas Island gecko ( Lepidodactylus listeri ), the forest skink ( Emoia nativitatis ), the blue-tailed skink ( Cryptoblephanus egeriae ) and the Christmas Island blind snake ( Ramphotyphlops exocoeti ). The foreshore skink ( Emoia atrocostata ) is native to the park, but is also to be found on other islands of
4015-576: The park: the Christmas Island shrew ( Crocidura trichura ), listed as critically endangered, and possibly extinct; the small Christmas Island pipistrelle ( Pipistrellus murrayi ), listed as endangered and showing a rapid decrease in numbers; and the Christmas Island flying fox ( Pteropus melanotus ). The black rat ( Rattus rattus ) and house mouse ( Mus musculus ) have been introduced. Feral cats and dogs are also common, and stray into park territory. There are over 100 species of birds, of which ten are endemic. Many birds are passing vagrants , such as
4088-475: The population declared a Chinese ancestry in 2021), 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 means it is closely tied to Catholicism, whereas in
4161-424: The population of Christmas Island was 40.5% female and 59.5% male, while in 2011 the figures had been 29.3% female and 70.7% male. In contrast, the 2021 figures for the whole of Australia were 50.7% female, 49.3% male. Since 1998 there has been no provision for childbirth on the island; expectant mothers travel to mainland Australia approximately one month before their expected due date to give birth. Historically,
4234-541: The population was of Indonesian origin. As of 2021, most are people born in Christmas Island and many are of Chinese and Malay origin. 40.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was Malaysia at 18.6%. 29.3% of the population spoke English as their family language, while 18.4% spoke Malay, 13.9% spoke Mandarin Chinese, 3.7% Cantonese and 2.1% Southern Min (Minnan). Additionally, there are small local populations of Malaysian Indians and Indonesians. The 2016 Australian census recorded that
4307-424: The populations of red crabs are threatened by the arrival of the invasive yellow crazy ant ( Anoplolepis gracilipes ). The ant was accidentally introduced between 1915 and 1934, and without any native ant species to compete against, rapidly formed 'supercolonies' of extremely high density. Populations of the ant have been observed bringing down red crabs over a hundred times their combined biomass. A. gracilipes
4380-465: The summit of the plateau, but they failed to find a route up the inland cliff and were forced to turn back. During the 1872–1876 Challenger expedition to Indonesia, naturalist John Murray carried out extensive surveys. In 1886, Captain John Maclear of HMS Flying Fish , having discovered an anchorage in a bay that he named "Flying Fish Cove", landed a party and made a small collection of
4453-545: The two religious festivals which are official holidays are Christmas and Easter . Other non-official festivals include Spring Festival , Chap goh meh , Qingming Festival , Zhong Yuan Festival , and Hari Raya . Christmas Island is a non-self-governing external territory of Australia as of February 2020 , part of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (from 29 November 2007 until 14 September 2010, administration
SECTION 60
#17328456840834526-786: The west coast, at "the Dales ". Two of his crewmen became the first Europeans to set foot on Christmas Island. Captain Daniel Beeckman of the Eagle passed the island on 5 April 1714, chronicled in his 1718 book, A Voyage to and from the Island of Borneo, in the East-Indies . The first attempt at exploring the island was made in 1857 by Captain Sidney Grenfell of the frigate HMS Amethyst . An expedition crew were sent ashore with instructions to reach
4599-435: The wet season, bringing very strong winds, heavy rain, wave action, and storm surge . ancestry of Christmas Island' (2021) As of the 2021 Australian census , the population of Christmas Island is 1,692. 22.2% of the population had Chinese ancestry (up from 18.3% in 2001), 17.0% had generic Australian ancestry (11.7% in 2001), 16.1% had Malay ancestry (9.3% in 2001), 12.5% had English ancestry (8.9% in 2001), and 3.8% of
4672-449: The year. The highest temperature is usually around 29 °C (84 °F) in March and April, while the lowest temperature is 23 °C (73 °F) and occurs in August. There is a dry season from July to October with only occasional showers. The wet season is between November and June and includes monsoons , with downpours of rain at random times of the day. Tropical cyclones also occur in
4745-544: Was Lillian Oh , from 1993 to 1995. The most recent local election took place on 21 October 2023 alongside elections in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Christmas Island residents who are Australian citizens vote in Australian federal elections . Christmas Island residents are represented in the House of Representatives by the Division of Lingiari in the Northern Territory and in the Senate by Northern Territory senators. At
4818-520: Was a target for Japanese occupation because of its rich phosphate deposits. A naval gun was installed under a British officer, four non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and 27 Indian soldiers. The first attack was carried out on 20 January 1942 by the Japanese submarine I-59 , which torpedoed the Norwegian freighter Eidsvold . The vessel drifted and eventually sank off West White Beach. Most of
4891-514: Was appointed the first official representative of the new territory. In a media statement on 5 August 1960, the minister for territories , Paul Hasluck , said, among other things, that, "His extensive knowledge of the Malay language and the customs of the Asian people ... has proved invaluable in the inauguration of Australian administration ... During his two years on the island he had faced unavoidable difficulties ... and constantly sought to advance
4964-518: Was built in the 1970s, with aluminium-clad houses that were supposed to be cyclone -proof. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , centred off the western shore of Sumatra in Indonesia, resulted in no reported casualties, but some swimmers were swept some 150 metres (490 ft) out to sea for a time before being swept back in. From the late 1980s and early 1990s, boats carrying asylum seekers , mainly departing from Indonesia, began landing on
5037-527: Was carried out by the Attorney-General's Department , and prior to this by the Department of Transport and Regional Services ). The legal system is under the authority of the Governor-General of Australia and Australian law. An administrator appointed by the governor-general represents the monarch and Australia and lives on the island. The territory falls under no formal state jurisdiction, but
5110-525: Was first settled in the late 19th century. 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. The majority (63%) of the island is included in the Christmas Island National Park , which features several areas of primary monsoonal forest. Phosphate , deposited originally as guano , has been mined on
5183-487: Was originally a volcano , and some basalt is exposed in places such as The Dales and Dolly Beach, but most of the surface rock is limestone accumulated from coral growth. The karst terrain supports numerous anchialine caves . The summit of this mountain peak is formed by a succession of Tertiary limestones ranging in age from the Eocene or Oligocene up to recent reef deposits, with intercalations of volcanic rock in
5256-684: Was passed in September ;1958, and the island was officially placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 October 1958. This transfer did not see any process involving the local population, who could remain Singaporean citizens or obtain Australian citizenship. Links between Singapore and Christmas Island have occasionally reemerged in Singaporean politics and in Australia–Singapore relations . Under Commonwealth Cabinet Decision 1573 of 9 September 1958, D.E. Nickels
5329-401: Was repaired, and preparations were made to resume the mining and export of phosphate. Only 20 men from the 21st Special Base Force were left as a garrison. Isolated acts of sabotage and the torpedoing of the cargo ship Nissei Maru at the wharf on 17 November 1942 meant that only small amounts of phosphate were exported to Japan during the occupation. In November 1943, over 60% of
#82917