Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.With an area of 135 sq km, it is three quarters the size of Washington, DC.
Cia World Factbook
Christmas Island is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia. It is mostly steep cliffs along the coast that rise abruptly to a central plateau.
People who live on Christmas Island are called Christmas Islanders, while Christmas Island is the adjective used to describe something from this country. As of July 2012, there are 1,496 people in Christmas Island. The ethnic groups that reside in Christmas Island are mostly Chinese (70%), with some European (20%) and Malay (10%). The official language is English, but Chinese and Malay are also spoken there. Buddhists make up approximately 36% of the population, while Muslims (25%) and Christians (18%) make up the rest.
The country's official name is the Territory of Christmas Island. The capital is The Settlement. Christmas Island is a territory of Australia, so there is not a constitution. The currency is the Australian dollar (abbreviated AUD), which stands at 0.9695 AUD per USD as of 2011.
All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...
Christmas Island
Christmas Island, CIA World Factbook
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