Cruising to Christmas IslandBackgroundNamed 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. GeographyLocation: Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of
Indonesia Coastline138.9 km Maritime claimsTerritorial sea: 12 nm ClimateTropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April) TerrainSteep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau Elevation extremesLowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m EconomyPhosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future. TransportationAirports: 1 (2005) Sailing Specifics: Ports and terminalsFlying Fish Cove Other Sailing Destinations in the RegionBahrain - Christmas Islands - Cocos Keeling - Comoros - Djibouti - Eritrea - India - Jordan - Kenya - Kuwait - Madagascar - Maldives - Mauritius - Mayotte - Mozambique - Oman - Pakistan - Qatar - Reunion Island - Saudi Arabia - Seychelles - Somalia - Sri Lanka - Sudan - Tanzania - United Arab Emirates - Yemen Further Reading |
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