Christmas Island

Rare card · No. 20990

Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about 350 kilometres (190 nautical miles; 220 miles) south of Java and Sumatra and about 1,550 km (840 nmi; 960 mi) north-west of the closest point on the Australian mainland. It has an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi). 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 territory derives its name from its discovery on Christmas Day 1643 by Captain William Mynors. The first European to sight Christmas Island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615. Mynors gave it its name. It was first settled in the late 19th century, after abundant phosphate deposits were found (originally deposited as guano) which led Britain to annex the island in 1888 and begin commercial mining in 1899...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Tony Couch, Public domain