No, Santa Claus doesn't spend his holidays here.
An Australian external territory, Christmas Island (Malay: Wilayah Pulau Krismas; Chinese: 圣诞岛领地) is an island located southwest of Indonesia in Southeast Asia. The majority of the people in the territory are Malay Chinese, with Malays and white Australians also being a significant portion of the population, and the capital and largest city is Flying Fish Cove, also known as "The Settlement" on most maps. The territory is known for its endemic fauna and flora due to its isolation and being mostly untouched by man, with 63% of the island comprising the Christmas Island National Park, and is an area of interest to naturalists and scientists.
While the island was sighted by Richard Rowe in 1615, named during the Christmas of 1643 by Captain William Mynors, and visited multiple times by the British, it wasn't inhabited until the late 19th century, when it was annexed by the British Crown on the 6th of June, 1888. It then became a major phosphate mine, with the Japanese invading the island in World War II as a result. The island was soon retaken by the British in 1945, and sovereignty of the territory was transferred to Australia in 1958.
The Christmas Islander flag
Designed by Tony Couch of Sydney, Australia, the flag consists of a green and blue background, split from the top left corner to the bottom right, representing the land and sea respectively, with the Southern Cross constellation placed in the bottom left of the flag in the same position as it appears on the flag of Australia, a golden bosun bird, a symbol of the island, placed in the top right, and a gold disc containing the shape of the island in green in the center of the flag.
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: The Settlement
- Population: 1,843
- Area: 135 km² (52 sq mi)
- Currency: Australian dollar ($) (AUD)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: CX
