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Background:
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Named
in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed
and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining
began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to
Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been
declared a national park.
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Location:
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Southeastern
Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia |
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Map references:
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Southeast
Asia |
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Area:
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total: 135
sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 135 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.7 times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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80 km |
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Climate:
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tropical with a
wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade
winds; wet season December to April |
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Terrain:
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steep cliffs
along coast rise abruptly to central plateau |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphate,
beaches |
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Land use:
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arable land:
0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100%
note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is
a national park (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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the narrow
fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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located along
major sea lanes of Indian Ocean |
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Population:
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396 (July 2004
est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA% (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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-9% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
|
NA births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
|
NA deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
|
NA migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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NA (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2004 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: NA years
female: NA years (2004 est.)
male: NA years |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
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Ethnic groups:
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Chinese 70%,
European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
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Religions:
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Buddhist 36%,
Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) |
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Languages:
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English
(official), Chinese, Malay |
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Literacy:
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NA |
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People - note:
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The Australian
Bureau of Statistics reports a population of 1508 as of the
2001 Census |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
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Dependency status:
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territory of
Australia; administered by the Australian Department of
Transport and Regional Services |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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The Settlement |
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Administrative divisions:
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none (territory
of Australia) |
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Independence:
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none (territory
of Australia) |
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National holiday:
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Australia Day, 26
January (1788) |
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Constitution:
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NA |
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Legal system:
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under the
authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian
law |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Evan WILLIAMS (since
1 November 2003)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia
and represents the monarch and Australia |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats -
independents 9
elections: held every two years with half the members
standing for election; last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held
NA 2005) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court;
District Court; Magistrate's Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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none |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (territory
of Australia) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (territory
of Australia) |
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Economy - overview:
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Phosphate mining
had been the only significant economic activity, but in
December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In
1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the
government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino
closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to
support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on
the island, projected to begin operations in mid-2004 |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $NA |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA% |
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GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power
parity - $NA |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA% |
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Labor force:
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NA |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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NA |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA |
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Industries:
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tourism,
phosphate extraction (near depletion) |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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NA kWh |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
NA%
hydro: NA%
other: NA%
nuclear: NA% |
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Electricity - consumption:
|
NA kWh |
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Agriculture - products:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$NA |
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Exports - commodities:
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phosphate |
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Exports - partners:
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Australia, NZ |
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Imports:
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$NA |
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Imports - commodities:
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consumer goods |
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Imports - partners:
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principally
Australia |
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Debt - external:
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$NA |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA |
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Currency:
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Australian dollar
(AUD) |
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Currency code:
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AUD |
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Exchange rates:
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Australian
dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.9354 (2002), 1.9320
(2001), 1.7173(2000), 1.5497 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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NA |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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NA |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: only analog mobile telephone service is
available
international: country code - 61; satellite earth
stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and
telex service (2000) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 1,
shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA |
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Internet country code:
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.cx |
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Internet users:
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NA |
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Railways:
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24 km to serve
phosphate mines |
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Highways:
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total: 240
km
paved: 30 km
unpaved: 210 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Flying Fish Cove |
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Merchant marine:
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none |
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Airports:
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1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Military - note:
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defense is the
responsibility of Australia |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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