Christmas Island

Christmas Island was named on Christmas Day 1643 by Captain William Mynors, the Master of a passing ship. The first landing was recorded by William Dampier in 1688. For the next two centuries little interest was shown in the Island due to its rugged coastline. Following the discovery of phosphate deposits the Island was annexed by Britain in 1888. Christmas Island was occupied by Japanese forces from March 1942 until the end of the Second World War and in 1946 became a dependency of Singapore.

The United Kingdom transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Since then 1 October the first Monday in October is celebrated as Territory Day to commemorate that event. From 1995 to 2007 Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands were administrative units under the Australian Department of Transportation and Regional Services. Now the territories are administered by the Attorney-General's Department.

Christmas Island supports a wide range of unique and unusual species and habitats, and although it has been mined for phosphates for much of the past century, most of the natural ecosystem remains intact. The declaration of the Christmas Island National Park in 1980, and extensions in 1986 and 1989, placed over sixty percent of the Island under formal protection. The Park contains the last remaining nesting habitat in the world of the endangered Abbott's booby and also supports the world's largest remaining robber crab population and probably contains the largest and most diverse land crab community anywhere.

Capital: The Settlement (Flying Fish Cove)

Government: Australian non-self governing external territory

Area: 135 km²

Population: 1.493 (July 2006)

Currency: Australian Dollar (100 cent)

Internet TLD: .cx

Dialling code: +61 (Australia)

Links

Christmas Island in Wikipedia.

Flag of Christmas Island in Flags of the World.

The website of the Philatelic Service (Australia).

Country description of Christmas Island from the CIA.

Territory description and information from the Attorney-General's Department.

Official website of the local government of Christmas Island (the Shire).

Stamp catalogue

International Year of the Child

date: 20 April 1979

designer: Jennifer Toombs

printer: Questa Colour Security Printers, London

perforated: 14

remark: issued in a strip of five stamps, forming a composite design

1 20 cents two Chinese children, IYC emblem, text "International Year / of the Child 1979"

multicoloured, inscription apple-green

(cat. Michel 110/SG 108/Yvert 122)

2 20 cents two Malay children, IYC emblem, text "International Year / of the Child 1979"

multicoloured, inscription turquoise-green

(cat. Michel 111/SG 109/Yvert 123)

3 20 cents two Indian children, IYC emblem, text "International Year / of the Child 1979"

multicoloured, inscription lilac

(cat. Michel 112/SG 110/Yvert 124)

4 20 cents two European children, IYC emblem, text "International Year / of the Child 1979"

multicoloured, inscription rose

(cat. Michel 113/SG 111/Yvert 125)

5 20 cents four children playing Oranges and Lemons, IYC emblem, text "International Year / of the Child

1979"

multicoloured, inscription orange-yellow

(cat. Michel 114/SG 112/Yvert 126)

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last revised: 17 May 2009