Christmas island (Australia)

Le' Territoire of the île christmas' (in English, The Territory off Christmas Island) is located in the Indian Ocean, to 2.623 km of Perth and to 417 km in the east of the islands Cocos. It 14 19 km km is broad and long and covers a surface of 135 km ². The Capital of the island east The Settlement (“Establishment”).

Annexed by the British Empire in 1888 and managed by the colony of Singapore, its sovereignty was transferred to the Australia in 1958. Nearly two thirds of the surface of the island were declared national park.

History

She was baptized on December 25th, 1643 by the English captain William Mynors who saw an small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

This island became an Australian territory on October 1st, 1958 with the coming into effect of the Christmas Island Act 1958-59 . Before this date, it was managed like a possession Britannique by the colony of Singapore, and was managed, starting from the middle of the XIXe century, by British governors in Ceylon or Singapore like dependence of the Straits (of the the West Indies).

Uninhabited at the time of its discovery discussed (nobody knows exactly when and by whom she was discovered, but she is noted on a Dutch chart by Pieter Goos, publiéé in the 1666 - on the chart the island is indicated under the name of Moni - first unquestionable visit goes back to March 1688), the first European installation about the island was done two hundred years after, with the locality Flying Fish Cove, in 1888 by George Clunies-Ross who, with sir John Murray, a British naturalist, obtained the first ground hiring. Murray having analyzed samples of rock had noted that it was made up almost entirely by Phosphate (manure). The exploitation of phosphate began in 1897 with the foundation from the Christmas Island Phosphate Co. Ltd .

From March 1942 at the end of the Second world war, in 1945, the Japanese forces occupied the island. In 1948, the Australian governments and néozélandais which with the British Phosphate Commissioners (cf also Kiribati) had continued the intensive exploitation of the mines repurchased the island with the Christmas Island Phosphate Company . The Australian Phosphates Corporation , a national control, replaced the preceding owners in 1981. This situation lasted until 1987, when the Corporation ceased in its turn and was replaced by a company belonging to the Union off Christmas Island Workers . The extraction of Phosphate still constitutes the principal industry of the island.

Since 1958, the Australian administration of the territory is under the responsibility of an official representative of the Australian government. This situation was modified in 1968 by the nomination of a concerning administrator ministry for the Territories.

In 1989, a National park of a few 1.600 ha was created, in which a rare red crab species is protected, thus covering 60% of the island, including/understanding mainly the rain forest. It is supervised by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency .

Government

Christmas island is a non-self-governing Australian territory, managed by the Department of Transport and Regional Services (Department off Transport and Regional Services - DOTARS). The legal system is placed under the authority of the Governor-general of Australia and the Australian legislation. An administrator, named by the Governor-general, represents the Queen and Australia.

There exists a local council, the Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; election by the direct suffrage for four years, half of the renewed seats every 2 years).

At the federal level, the Australian residents of the island are represented with the room of the representatives by the elected officials of the district of Lingiari (Territory of North), and with the Senate by the senators of the Territory of North.

Fauna

The island knows at the rain season a migration of reproduction of Crabe S reds which lives inside the forests. They migrate to go to lay on the maritime shore, even if they do not live there any more. Fragile, their annual displacement is made at the rain season to avoid heat.

These crabs are a protected space - obviously inoffensive for the human being - because they are essential to the life of the local forests. During the migration, the population of Christmas adapts, in particular by avoiding certain roads.

At each rain season, Christmas island , off the Australian continent, is invaded by million terrestrial crabs red, or Gecarcoida natalis . Strapping man and mafflu, it can weigh more than 1 kg and live beyond 12 years. Leaving the tropical forest, they are ruent towards the shores in order to reproduce there, the mothers draw up themselves vis-a-vis the sea and expel each one nearly 100.000 eggs. then their burrows regain. The long walk of the babies crabs starts with a difficulty of size: the cliff that it is necessary for them to climb. Only the birds of sea constitute a threat for mini-crabs perfectly innoffensifs. During the 3 weeks of this formidable transhumance, the imperturbable islanders, take the party of the nonchalance and continue to cultivate their form, for example while playing golf among hundreds or thousands of crabs. The migration of red crabs can constitute an additional tourist attraction.

They are however threatened by a species of Fourmi nonindigenous ( Anoplolepis gracilipes ) certainly brought with a cargo of wood of Africa.

Demography

The population of the island, which knew great variations these last years (passing from 1500 people in 2001 to 396 in 2004), is estimated at approximately 1500 people in July 2006.

The Chinese form the majority with 61%, then follow the Malais (23,4%), the Australia NS (10,1%), the Européens (2%) and some other small communities of Indo - Pakistan board (1,7%) and of Javanese (1,2%). The most spoken languages are the Chinese Mandarin (61, %), the Malayan (23,4%) and the English (12%), the official language of the territory. The Buddhists account for 36% of the population, the Musulmans 25%, the Chrétiens 18%; others practice various Religions (21%).

Flag

The flag of the Territory of Christmas island was creates in 1986 at the time of a contest organized by the council of the county (Christmas Island Shire Council) for the creation of an insular flag. The flag however was not officially recognized before January 26th, 2002, Australian national feastday. The Yellow and the Vert of this flag correspond to the national colors of Australia; the stars of the Cross of the South, symbolize the association of the island with Australia. The Bleu represents the Indian Ocean; the green, the tropical forest and the bird are a gilded bosun, a species living only on the island. A chart of the island is reproduced on the yellow disc in the center of the flag.

Culture

The local authorities of Christmas island do not have a particular linguistic policy. Christmas Island Act of 1958 does not contain any provision as regards language. There exists a local council, Christmas Island Shire Council (nine seats, elected officials by the direct suffrage for one year, each December), which deliberates only in English. The local courts function in this same language, just as the Administration. The schools exempt their English courses. The educational establishments are provided as a personnel by teachers concerned with Department Education off Western Australia (Department of education of Western Australia) and follows the programme of studies of this State. The majority of the pupils who wish continue the end of the secondary must attend schools of Western Australia.

In addition to the Australian newspapers, Shire off Christmas Island publishes a semi-monthly of English language, The Islander. Christmas island receives the Golden delicious West Network (GWN), an emission of network of the commercial TV of Western Australia, but also the stations ABC, SBS and the TWIN-TV, all in English. The radio VLU2 is the station of local emission, transmitting on 1422 Khz and 102.2; it diffuses in English, Malayan and Chinese Mandarin. The island receives also WAFM, a commercial station based in Western Australia, like ABC Classical Radio and Triple-J. For several years, a récréo-tourist complex (with casino) has been arranged in order to attract tourists.

Codes

Christmas island has as codes:

.cx, according to the List of Internet TLD (Signal level domain),
CX, according to the standard ISO 3166-1, code alpha 2,

External bonds

The CIA World Factbook - Christmas island (in)
Shire off Christmas Island Website (in)

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