Misplaced Pages

#746253

82-564: It separates the biogeographical realms of Asia and ' Wallacea ', a transitional zone between Asia and Australia also called the Malay Archipelago and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. To the west of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species of Asian and Australian origins is present. Wallace noticed this clear division in both land mammals and birds during his travels through

164-555: 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 the four British NCOs in their quarters as they were sleeping. "Afterwards all Europeans on

246-553: 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 was a target for Japanese occupation because of its rich phosphate deposits. A naval gun

328-575: 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

410-594: 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, 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

492-433: 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 ,

574-666: 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 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

656-429: 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

738-405: Is a result of its location at the merging point of four major tectonic plates and other semi-isolated microplates in combination with ancient sea levels. Those caused the isolation of different taxonomic groups on islands at present relatively close to each other. Wallace's line is one of the many boundaries drawn by naturalists and biologists since the mid-1800s intended to delineate constraints on

820-549: 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

902-477: 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

#1732836906747

984-587: 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

1066-480: Is derived from more recent colonization events. By contrast, to the Asian side, marsupials are excluded, and placental mammals such as apes, cats, elephants, monkeys, rhinoceroses, and other species are found. Exceptions to this include macaques , pigs, and tarsiers on Sulawesi. Other groups of plants and animals show differing patterns, but the overall pattern is striking and reasonably consistent. Flora do not follow

1148-500: 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

1230-508: 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

1312-763: Is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions , which are further subdivided into ecoregions . A biogeographic realm is also known as "ecozone", although that term may also refer to ecoregions. The realms delineate large areas of Earth's surface within which organisms have evolved in relative isolation over long periods of time, separated by geographic features, such as oceans , broad deserts , or high mountain ranges , that constitute natural barriers to migration. As such, biogeographic realm designations are used to indicate general groupings of organisms based on their shared biogeography. Biogeographic realms correspond to

1394-623: Is visible geographically when the continental shelf contours are examined. It figures as a deep-water channel that separates the southeastern edge of the Sunda Shelf from the Sahul Shelf . The Sunda Shelf links Borneo, Bali, Java, and Sumatra underwater to the mainland of southeastern Asia, while the Sahul Shelf connects Australia to New Guinea and their adjacent islands. During the Pleistocene, when

1476-521: 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 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

1558-648: 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,

1640-655: The Christmas Island National Park , which features several areas of primary monsoonal forest. Phosphate , deposited originally as guano , has been mined on 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

1722-656: 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 the summit of the plateau, but they failed to find a route up the inland cliff and were forced to turn back. During

SECTION 20

#1732836906747

1804-526: The East Indies in the 19th century. The line runs through Indonesia , such as Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sulawesi (Celebes), and through the Lombok Strait between Bali and Lombok , where the distance is strikingly small, only about 35 kilometers (22 mi), but enough for a contrast in species present on each island. The complex biogeography of the Indo-Australian Archipelago

1886-550: The Holarctic realm . Following the nomenclatural conventions set out in the International Code of Area Nomenclature , Morrone defined the next biogeographic kingdoms (or realms) and regions: The applicability of Udvardy scheme to most freshwater taxa is unresolved. The drainage basins of the principal oceans and seas of the world are marked by continental divides. The grey areas are endorheic basins that do not drain to

1968-508: 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

2050-675: 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

2132-423: The floristic kingdoms of botany or zoogeographic regions of zoology . From 1872, Alfred Russel Wallace developed a system of zoogeographic regions, extending the ornithologist Philip Sclater 's system of six regions. Biogeographic realms are characterized by the evolutionary history of the organisms they contain. They are distinct from biomes , also known as major habitat types, which are divisions of

2214-409: The ocean levels were up to 120 metres (390 ft) lower , islands became connected, but never uniting Asia with Australia. Consequently, for over 50 million years, deep water between those two large continental shelf areas created a barrier that kept the flora and fauna of Australia separated from those of Asia. It can reasonably be concluded it was an ocean barrier preventing species migration because

2296-404: The 1960s, it was used originally in the field of biostratigraphy to denote intervals of geological strata with fossil content demonstrating a specific ecology. In Canadian literature, the term was used by Wiken in macro level land classification , with geographic criteria (see Ecozones of Canada ). Later, Schultz would use it with ecological and physiognomical criteria, in a way similar to

2378-471: The 19th century, although some special cases not explained before are reinforced by these modern analyses. for instance, evaluated the distribution of land mammals, birds, and amphibians in Wallace's realms and concluded that the boundaries suggested by Wallace remain valid. Ali et al . (2020), in a different attempt, studied the fauna of Christmas Island and indicated that most of the ancestral colonizers of

2460-542: The Anglo-Celtic influence in the capital known simply as The Settlement means it 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. 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

2542-455: 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

Wallace Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-743: The Earth's surface based on life form , or the adaptation of animals, fungi, micro-organisms and plants to climatic, soil , and other conditions. Biomes are characterized by similar climax vegetation . Each realm may include a number of different biomes. A tropical moist broadleaf forest in Central America, for example, may be similar to one in New Guinea in its vegetation type and structure, climate, soils, etc., but these forests are inhabited by animals, fungi, micro-organisms and plants with very different evolutionary histories. The distribution of organisms among

2706-611: The English navigator G.W. Earl published his observations in faunal differences between the islands in the Indo-Australian archipelago. In 1845, G.W. Earl described how shallow seas connected islands on the west ( Sumatra , Java , etc.) with the Asian continent and with similar wildlife, and islands on the east such as New Guinea were connected to Australia and were characterized by the presence of marsupials . These early investigations assisted Wallace in developing his theories about

2788-532: 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

2870-446: 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

2952-801: The WWF system, the Australasia realm includes Australia , Tasmania , the islands of Wallacea , New Guinea , the East Melanesian Islands , New Caledonia , and New Zealand . Udvardy's Australian realm includes only Australia and Tasmania; he places Wallacea in the Indomalayan Realm, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and East Melanesia in the Oceanian Realm, and New Zealand in the Antarctic Realm. The Palearctic and Nearctic are sometimes grouped into

3034-570: The Wallace Line to the same extent as fauna , since their colonization events differ in their ability to spread across bodies of water. One genus of plants that does not cross the line is the Australasian genus Eucalyptus , except for one species, E. deglupta , which naturally occurs on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Biogeographical realms A biogeographic realm

3116-588: 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

3198-490: The archipelago, and noticed that species in the Philippines were remarkably distinct from those in the Asiatic realm. Based on that, he redrew Wallace's boundary placing it to the west of the Philippines and named it "Wallace's line", although Wallace himself had refused to include the Philippines on the east side of the line. Because of the complexity of the geographical landscape and the differences in diversity of organisms around

3280-425: The archipelago, continuous attempts to characterize faunal and botanical boundaries were carried out after Wallace. Some of them are In addition, several smaller transition sub-regional boundaries were also proposed. More recent work assessing biodiversity assemblages, phylogeny, and using computer-based geospatial tools to analyze previous boundaries have led to patterns of division similar to those proposed through

3362-414: The biogeography which he stated publicly in his 1859 paper after extensively traveling the region. He proposed a line to the east of Bali since "all the islands eastward of Borneo and Java formed part of an Australian or Pacific continent, from which they were separated." The proposal of the line, however, was not the main objective of Wallace's endeavours: His primary purpose was in fact to understand

Wallace Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

3444-628: 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,

3526-611: 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

3608-486: 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 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

3690-568: The concept of biome . In the Global 200 /WWF scheme, originally the term "biogeographic realm" in Udvardy sense was used. However, in a scheme of BBC , it was replaced by the term "ecozone". The World Wildlife Fund scheme is broadly similar to Miklos Udvardy 's system, the chief difference being the delineation of the Australasian realm relative to the Antarctic, Oceanic, and Indomalayan realms. In

3772-517: The distribution of the fauna and flora of the archipelago. One of the earliest descriptions of the biodiversity in the Indo-Australian Archipelago dates back to 1521 when Venetian explorer Pigafetta recorded the biological contrasts between the Philippines and the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) (on opposite sides of the Wallace's Line) during the continuation of the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan , after Magellan had been killed on Mactan . Later on,

3854-450: The geological phenomena and the colonization events that caused the boundaries in faunal distribution in the region through the development of his theories of evolution and biogeography. Wallace's studies in Indonesia demonstrated the emerging theory of evolution , at about the same time as J.D. Hooker and Asa Gray published essays also supporting Darwin 's hypothesis. On the other hand,

3936-460: 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,

4018-556: 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 the west coast, at "the Dales ". Two of his crewmen became the first Europeans to set foot on Christmas Island. Captain Daniel Beeckman of

4100-551: 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

4182-421: The island's land mammals and amphibians disappeared from the Lombok Strait . Therefore, they propose a re-conformation of the Wallace's line so that the Christmas Island would be sited on the Australasian side of the biogeographical divide, instead of the oriental side. Understanding of the biogeography of the region centers on the relationship of ancient sea levels to the continental shelves . Wallace's line

SECTION 50

#1732836906747

4264-530: 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, a dozen Japanese bomber aircraft launched an attack, destroying

4346-553: 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

4428-482: The lack of knowledge of tectonic plates , and the uncertainty about biodiversity in the Philippines , left Wallace with some contradicting points he had to deal with concerning his theory on biogeography. In fact, Wallace did not include the Philippines in his 1859 paper, and the determination of a line in honor of his name was suggested by T.H. Huxley (1868). Huxley studied the distribution of gallinaceous birds in

4510-424: 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

4592-405: The limits of the line, since many birds do not cross even the shortest stretches of open ocean water. Among mammals, bats have distributions that can cross the line, but larger terrestrial mammals are generally limited to one side or the other. On the Australian side, many species of marsupials are present, and some monotremes, alongside native rodents—although the occurrence of rodents in this case

4674-447: 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

4756-449: 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 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;

4838-425: 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 the island's population were evacuated to Surabaya prison camps, leaving

4920-468: 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

5002-562: The ocean. According to Briggs and Morrone: According to the WWF scheme: Christmas Island 10°29′24″S 105°37′39″E  /  10.49000°S 105.62750°E  / -10.49000; 105.62750 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

SECTION 60

#1732836906747

5084-641: 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

5166-498: 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

5248-546: The physical aspects of the separated islands are very similar. Thus, the Wallacea region consists of islands that remained isolated on their respective continental land masses, with only those organisms capable of crossing the straits between islands populating them. Alternatively, " Weber's line " runs through this transitional area (to the east of center), at the tipping point between Asian species against those with Australian origins. The distributions of many bird species follow

5330-424: 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,

5412-541: 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

5494-411: 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 was repaired, and preparations were made to resume

5576-425: 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, a mechanical engineer and recent graduate of Purdue University ,

5658-545: 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

5740-435: 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

5822-406: The world's biogeographic realms has been influenced by the distribution of landmasses , as shaped by plate tectonics over the geological history of the Earth . The "biogeographic realms" of Udvardy were defined based on taxonomic composition. The rank corresponds more or less to the floristic kingdoms and zoogeographic regions . The usage of the term "ecozone" is more variable. Beginning in

5904-449: 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

5986-544: 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

6068-408: 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. 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

6150-466: 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

6232-518: 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

6314-527: 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

6396-403: 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 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

6478-653: 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 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

6560-487: 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

6642-684: 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

6724-791: 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 the Straits Settlements , and later the Crown Colony of Singapore . Hunt (2011) provides

#746253