Two of his crewmen became the first Europeans to set foot on Christmas Island. Captain Daniel Beeckman of the Eagle passed the island on 5 April 1714, 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 1872–1876 Challenger expedition to Indonesia, naturalist John Murray carried out extensive surveys. In 1886, Captain John Maclear of , having discovered an anchorage in a bay that he named "Flying Fish Cove", landed a party and made a small collection of the flora and fauna.
They tried to reach the summit of the island but found the cliffs impassable. During the 1872–1876 Challenger expedition to Indonesia, naturalist John Murray carried out extensive surveys. In 1886, Captain John Maclear of , having discovered an anchorage in a bay that he named "Flying Fish Cove", landed a party and made a small collection of the flora and fauna.
This discovery 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 to the southwest, to collect timber and supplies for the growing industry on Cocos. In 1897 the island was visited by Charles W.
Phosphate, deposited originally as guano, has been mined on the island since 1899. ==History== ===First visits by Europeans, 1643=== The first European to sight the island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615.
Andrews, who did extensive research on the natural history of the island, on behalf of the British Museum. Phosphate mining began in 1899 using indentured workers from Singapore, British Malaya, and China.
There are no independent newspapers. ===Postage stamps=== A postal agency was opened on the island in 1901 and sold stamps of the Strait Settlements. After the Japanese occupation (1942–1945), postage stamps of the British Military Administration in Malaya were in use, then stamps of Singapore. In 1958, the island received its own postage stamps after being put under Australian custody.
Murray was known as the "King of Christmas Island" until 1910, when he married and settled in London. 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.
In 1922, scientists unsuccessfully attempted to view a solar eclipse in late September from the island to test Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity. ===Japanese invasion=== From the outbreak of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II in December 1941, Christmas Island was a target for Japanese occupation because of its rich phosphate deposits.
The first attack was carried out on 20 January 1942, by , which torpedoed a Norwegian freighter, the Eidsvold.
But after a long discussion between the district officer and the leaders of the mutineers the executions were postponed and the Europeans were confined under armed guard in the district officer's house". At dawn on 31 March 1942, a dozen Japanese bombers launched the attack, destroying the radio station.
Only 20 men from the 21st Special Base Force were left as a garrison. 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 1947, five of them were sentenced to death.
Central Intelligence Agency. Island countries of the Indian Ocean Islands of Australia Islands of Southeast Asia Important Bird Areas of Australian External Territories British rule in Singapore . English-speaking countries and territories Malay-speaking countries and territories States and territories of Australia States and territories established in 1957 1957 establishments in Australia Important Bird Areas of Indian Ocean islands
The United Kingdom's Christmas Island Act was given royal assent on 14 May 1958, enabling Britain to transfer authority over Christmas Island from Singapore to Australia by an order-in-council.
Australia's Christmas Island Act was passed in September 1958 and the island was officially placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 October 1958. Under Commonwealth Cabinet Decision 1573 of 9 September 1958, D. E. Nickels was appointed the first official representative of the new territory.
Under the federal government's Christmas Island Act 1958, Western Australian laws are applied to Christmas Island; non-application or partial application of such laws is at the discretion of the federal government.
There are no independent newspapers. ===Postage stamps=== A postal agency was opened on the island in 1901 and sold stamps of the Strait Settlements. After the Japanese occupation (1942–1945), postage stamps of the British Military Administration in Malaya were in use, then stamps of Singapore. In 1958, the island received its own postage stamps after being put under Australian custody.
There are no universities on Christmas Island. The island has one public library. == Sport == Cricket and rugby league are the two main organised sports on the island. The Christmas Island Cricket Club was founded in 1959, and is now known as the Christmas Island Cricket and Sporting Club.
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 ...
and constantly sought to advance the island's interests." John William Stokes succeeded him and served from 1 October 1960, to 12 June 1966.
and constantly sought to advance the island's interests." John William Stokes succeeded him and served from 1 October 1960, to 12 June 1966.
In 1968, the official secretary was retitled an administrator 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.
Recollections of the island's history and lifestyle, and lists and timetables of the island's leaders and events since its settlement are at the World Statesmen site and in Neale (1988), Bosman (1993), Hunt (2011), and Stokes (2012). The settlement of Silver City was built in the 1970s, with aluminium-clad houses that were supposed to be cyclone-proof.
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami centred off the western shore of Sumatra in Indonesia, resulted in no reported casualties, but some swimmers were swept some out to sea for a time before being swept back in. ===Refugee and immigration detention=== From the late 1980s and early 1990s, boats carrying asylum seekers, mainly departing from Indonesia, began landing on the island.
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami centred off the western shore of Sumatra in Indonesia, resulted in no reported casualties, but some swimmers were swept some out to sea for a time before being swept back in. ===Refugee and immigration detention=== From the late 1980s and early 1990s, boats carrying asylum seekers, mainly departing from Indonesia, began landing on the island.
In 1991, the mine was reopened by Phosphate Resources Limited, a consortium that included many of the former mine workers as shareholders and is the largest contributor to the Christmas Island economy. With the support of the government, the $34 million Christmas Island Casino and Resort opened in 1993 but was closed in 1998.
Its second President was Lillian Oh, from 1993 to 1995. ===Residents' views=== Residents find the system of administration frustrating, with the island run by bureaucrats in the federal government, but subject to the laws of Western Australia and enforced by federal police.
In 1991, the mine was reopened by Phosphate Resources Limited, a consortium that included many of the former mine workers as shareholders and is the largest contributor to the Christmas Island economy. With the support of the government, the $34 million Christmas Island Casino and Resort opened in 1993 but was closed in 1998.
Its second President was Lillian Oh, from 1993 to 1995. ===Residents' views=== Residents find the system of administration frustrating, with the island run by bureaucrats in the federal government, but subject to the laws of Western Australia and enforced by federal police.
In 1968, the official secretary was retitled an administrator 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.
In 1991, the mine was reopened by Phosphate Resources Limited, a consortium that included many of the former mine workers as shareholders and is the largest contributor to the Christmas Island economy. With the support of the government, the $34 million Christmas Island Casino and Resort opened in 1993 but was closed in 1998.
In 2001, Christmas Island was the site of the Tampa controversy, in which the Australian government stopped a Norwegian ship, MV Tampa, from disembarking 438 rescued asylum-seekers.
The ensuing standoff and the associated political reactions in Australia were a major issue in the 2001 Australian federal election. The Howard government operated the "Pacific Solution" from 2001 to 2007, excising Christmas Island from Australia's migration zone so that asylum seekers on the island could not apply for refugee status.
21.2% of the population had Chinese ancestry (up from 18.3% in 2001), 12.7% had generic Australian ancestry (11.7% in 2001), 12% had Malay ancestry (9.3% in 2001), 10% had English ancestry (8.9% in 2001), and 2.3% of the population was of Irish origin (the same share as in 2001).
, the resort has re-opened without the casino. The Australian government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial spaceport on the island; however, this has not yet been constructed and appears that it will not proceed.
The Howard government built a temporary immigration detention centre on the island in 2001 and planned to replace it with a larger, modern facility at North West Point until Howard's defeat in the 2007 elections. ==Culture== ===Ethnicities=== Historically, the majority of Christmas Islanders were those of Chinese, Malay and Indian origins, the initial permanent settlers.
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami centred off the western shore of Sumatra in Indonesia, resulted in no reported casualties, but some swimmers were swept some out to sea for a time before being swept back in. ===Refugee and immigration detention=== From the late 1980s and early 1990s, boats carrying asylum seekers, mainly departing from Indonesia, began landing on the island.
A GSM mobile telephone system on the 900 MHz band replaced the old analogue network in February 2005. ===Newspapers=== The Shire of Christmas Island publishes a fortnightly newsletter, The Islander.
In 2006, an immigration detention centre, containing approximately 800 beds, was constructed on the island for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
The ensuing standoff and the associated political reactions in Australia were a major issue in the 2001 Australian federal election. The Howard government operated the "Pacific Solution" from 2001 to 2007, excising Christmas Island from Australia's migration zone so that asylum seekers on the island could not apply for refugee status.
The Howard government built a temporary immigration detention centre on the island in 2001 and planned to replace it with a larger, modern facility at North West Point until Howard's defeat in the 2007 elections. ==Culture== ===Ethnicities=== Historically, the majority of Christmas Islanders were those of Chinese, Malay and Indian origins, the initial permanent settlers.
Additionally, there are small local populations of Malaysian Indians and Eurasians. The 2016 Australian census recorded that the population of Christmas Island was 38.7% female and 61.3% male, while in 2011 the figures had been 29.3% female and 70.7% male.
Today, around two-thirds of the island's population is estimated to have Malaysian Chinese or Singaporean Chinese origin (though just 21.2% of the population declared a Chinese ancestry in 2016), with significant numbers of Malays and European Australians and smaller numbers of Malaysian Indians and Eurasians.
Tropical cyclones also occur in the wet season, bringing very strong winds, rain and enormous seas. ==Demographics== As of the 2016 Australian census, the population of Christmas Island is 1,843.
As of 2016, most are people born in Christmas Island and many are of Chinese and Malay origin.
Additionally, there are small local populations of Malaysian Indians and Eurasians. The 2016 Australian census recorded that the population of Christmas Island was 38.7% female and 61.3% male, while in 2011 the figures had been 29.3% female and 70.7% male.
In contrast, the 2016 figures for the whole of Australia were 50.7% female, 49.3% male.
At the 2019 federal election, the Labor Party received majorities from Christmas Island electors in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. women held two of the nine seats in the Christmas Island Shire Council.
In 2019 the club celebrated its 60-year anniversary.
63% of the island is national park making it one of the main attractions to experience when visiting. In the 2021 budget the Australian Government committed $A39.1M to create two new marine parks off Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
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