Christmas Island is an Australian Non-self
Governing External Territory, located in the Indian Ocean on the rim of South
East Asia, 360km south of Java and 2600 km North West of Perth. The coastline
of 73km comprises mostly sheer rocky cliffs 10 to 20 metres high with a few
small coral and rubble beaches. The Island has a typical tropical equatorial
climate with wet and dry seasons. Official temperatures range from a minimum of
22 degrees to a maximum of 28 degrees. Average humidity is between 80 – 90%.
The population of the Island is approximately 1,200 with a mix of Chinese,
Malay and Europeans. The principle languages are Mandarin, Bahasa Malay and
English. Other Chinese dialects are also spoken. The Island is considered to
have high conservation value due to the number of endemic bird, crab and plant
species. Approximately 63% of the Island’s 135 square kilometres is gazetted
National Park. Christmas Island’s economy is currently based on phosphate
mining and tourism with a focus of its unique natural resources both on land
and sea. The Shire of Christmas Island has been operating since 1 July 1992. It
was created as a result of the law reform process whereby the Commonwealth decided
to apply the laws of Western Australia as Territory laws. The Christmas Island
Services Corporation, a Commonwealth organisation, became the local government
on this date. The Shire provides standard local government type services as
well as acts as agent for the Commonwealth in the provision of some services.
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of
Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi)
northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, 360 km (220 mi) south of the
Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and 975 km (606 mi) ENE of the Cocos (Keeling)
Islands.
It has a population of 1,403 residents who live in
a number of "settlement areas" on the northern tip of the island:
Flying Fish Cove (also known as Kampong), Silver City, Christmas Island, Poon
Saan, and Drumsite.
The 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 significant interest to scientists and naturalists. 63%
of its 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi) is an Australian national park. There
exist large areas of primary monsoonal forest.
Phosphate, deposited originally as dead marine
organisms (not guano as often thought), has been mined on the island for many
years.
Discovery
British and Dutch navigators first included the
island on their charts in the early 17th century. Captain William Mynors of the
Royal Mary, a British East India Company vessel, named the island when he
sailed past it on Christmas Day in 1643. A map by Pieter Goos, published in
1666, was the first to include the island. Goos labelled the island
"Mony"; many are not sure what this means.
William Dampier, aboard the British ship Cygnet,
made the earliest recorded visit to the island in March 1688. He found it
uninhabited. Dampier gave an account of the visit which can be found in his
Voyages:[citation needed] Dampier was trying to reach Cocos from New Holland.
His ship was pulled off course in an easterly direction, arriving at Christmas
Island 28 days later. Dampier landed at the Dales (on the west coast). Two of
his crewmen were the first humans known to have set foot on Christmas Island.
Daniel Beekman made the next recorded visit,
chronicled in his 1718 book, A Voyage to and from the Island of Borneo, in the
East Indies.
Exploration and annexation
The first attempt at exploring the island was in
1857 by the crew of the Amethyst. They tried to reach the summit of the island,
but found the cliffs impassable.
During the 1872–76 Challenger expedition to
Indonesia, naturalist Dr John Murray carried out extensive surveys.
In 1887, Captain 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 but interesting collection of the flora and fauna. In the next
year, Pelham Aldrich, on board HMS Egeria, visited it for ten days, accompanied
by J. J. Lister, who gathered a larger biological and mineralogical collection.
Among the rocks then obtained and submitted to Sir
John Murray for examination were many of nearly pure phosphate of lime, a
discovery which led to annexation of the island by the British Crown on 6 June
1888.
Settlement and exploitation
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 to the south west) to collect timber and supplies
for the growing industry on Cocos.
Phosphate mining began in the 1890s using
indentured workers from Singapore, Malaya and China.
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.
Japanese invasion
From the outbreak of war in South East Asia in
December 1941, Christmas Island was a target for Japanese occupation because of
its rich phosphate deposits. A naval gun was installed under a British officer and
four NCOs supported by Indian soldiers. The first attack, on 21 January 1942,
was carried out by the Japanese submarine I-159, that torpedoed a Norwegian
vessel, the Eidsvold, which was loading phosphate in Flying Fish Cove. The
vessel drifted and eventually sank off West White Beach. 50 European and Asian
staff and their families were evacuated to Perth. In late February and early
March 1942, two aerial bombing raids and shelling from the sea led the District
Officer to hoist the white flag. After the Japanese naval group sailed away the
British officer raised the Union Jack once more. During the night of 10–11
March a mutiny of the Indian troops, abetted by the Sikh policemen, led to the
murder of the five British soldiers and the imprisonment of the remaining 21
Europeans. On 31 March a Japanese fleet of 9 vessels arrived and the Island was
surrendered. A naval brigade, phosphate engineers, and 700 marines came ashore
and rounded up the workforce, most of whom had fled to the jungle. Sabotaged
equipment was repaired and preparations were made to resume the mining and
export of phosphate.
Isolated acts of sabotage and the torpedoing of the
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 was evacuated to Surabayan prison camps, leaving
a total population of just under 500 Chinese and Malays and 15 Japanese to
survive as best they could. In October 1945 HMS Rother reoccupied Christmas
Island.
Transfer to Australia
At Australia's request, the United Kingdom
transferred sovereignty to Australia; in 1957, the Australian government paid
the government of Singapore £2.9 million in compensation, a figure based mainly
on an estimated value of the phosphate forgone by Singapore.
Under Commonwealth Cabinet Decision 1573 of 9
September 1958, D. E. Nickels 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 the Island's interests." John William Stokes
succeeded him 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 re-titled an Administrator in 1968 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. A list and timetable of the Island's leaders since its settlement is at
http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Christmas_Island.html and in Neale (1988) and
Bosman (1993).
Source: Wikipedia
