Christmas Island is located 2600km north-west of Perth, Western Australia. The island has a strange shape - almost like a squashed Yorkshire Terrier in form.

The island was named on Christmas Day 1643.
It was occupied by the Japanese between 1942-1945.
The area was used for nuclear bomb tests in the 1950's and 60's.

There is no indigenous population. The current ethnic mix is: Chinese: 70% European 20% Malay: 10%

The current weather forecast can be seen here.

The island is famed for it's red crab population - approximately 100 million of them live there.

The island has it's own internet domain name extension '.cx'

135 square kilometres of land area. 80 kilomteres of coastline. 63% of the island is a national park; tropical rainforest abounds.
There are 24 kilometres of railway line to serve the phosphate mines and 240 kilometres of road of which only 30 kilometres is sealed.
There is 1 airport and 1 radio station.

The c.433 islanders have an analogue mobile phone system. Because there are so few of them all of the numbers can be listed on a single web page

Telecommunications links to the outside world are via a satellite ground station. The main source of income is tourism followed by Phosphate mining (which is nearing depletion). The Australian goverment plans to establish a commercial space-launching site. The island is administered by Australia.

The head of state is Brenda

Visitors to the island are not allowed to bring: Poultry and poultry products (chicken, ducks and quail meat - cooked or uncooked), eggs and egg products (eggs, egg cartons, egg shells, moon cake containing egg yolk, egg noodles and egg jam), live plants or parts of plants (from all countries except Australia), aircraft food, live animals, soil, birds nests.

Links
Official Australian Government island site
Genealogy and archives - interesting insights into the history of the island.
Official tourist website
Personal website of a former resident, Jane Resture with copius detail on island life and history.