Christmas Island — books & literature

The story of Christmas Island

Christmas Island's story is unusual among the world's territories: it was uninhabited by any permanent population until the late 19th century. European sailors sighted the island as early as 1615, and English captain William Mynors named it after the day he sighted it, Christmas Day 1643. For more than two centuries afterward it remained little more than a landmark for passing ships, its steep cliffs and dense rainforest discouraging settlement. Everything changed in 1887, when naturalists aboard the British survey ship HMS Egeria discovered rich phosphate deposits. Britain annexed the island the following year, and the Christmas Island Phosphate Company began mining in 1900, bringing indentured labourers from China, Malaya, and British India who became the ancestors of today's islanders. Japan occupied the island during the Second World War before it returned to British, then Australian, administration, with sovereignty formally transferred from Singapore to Australia in 1958. Mining shaped the economy for most of the 20th century, even as more than 60 percent of the island was set aside as national park to protect its rainforest and famous red crabs. Today Christmas Island is a small, ethnically diverse Australian external territory , one of the few places on Earth whose population and culture were built entirely by 20th-century migration rather than ancient settlement.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1615

   Richard Rowe, aboard the Thomas, becomes the first European recorded to sight the island.

2. 1643

   Captain William Mynors names it Christmas Island after sighting it on Christmas Day.

3. 1688

   English navigator William Dampier records an early visit to the surrounding sea.

4. 1887

   Naturalists aboard HMS Egeria discover rich phosphate deposits on the island.

5. 1888

   Britain formally annexes Christmas Island (6 June).

6. 1900

   The Christmas Island Phosphate Company ships its first major phosphate cargo, using Chinese, Malay, and Sikh labourers.

7. 1942-1945

   Japan occupies the island during World War II.

8. 1958

   Sovereignty is transferred from Singapore to Australia (1 October).

9. 1980

   Christmas Island National Park is established, later expanded to cover more than 60% of the island.

10. 1987

    The original phosphate mine closes amid environmental concerns; mining later resumes on a reduced scale.

Top 10 things to know about Christmas Island

1. Christmas Island is an external territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean, geographically much closer to Indonesia than to the Australian mainland.
2. It was named for the day it was rediscovered, Christmas Day 1643, by Captain William Mynors.
3. The island is world-famous for its annual red crab migration, when tens of millions of red crabs march to the sea to breed.
4. More than 60% of the island is protected as Christmas Island National Park.
5. Phosphate mining, begun in 1900, shaped the island economy and brought the Chinese, Malay, and Sikh indentured labourers who became its population base.
6. Japan occupied the island during World War II (1942-1945).
7. Sovereignty passed from Singapore to Australia in 1958.
8. Today around two-thirds of residents are estimated to be of Chinese descent, with Malay and European minorities , one of Australia's most ethnically diverse communities.
9. The island's currency is the Australian dollar; earlier eras used British and company-issued currency.
10. Christmas Island has no permanent indigenous population , every resident descends from settlers who arrived after 1888.

Famous people from Christmas Island

Say it in Christmas Island's language

Did you know?

• ★An estimated 40-50 million red crabs migrate across Christmas Island to the ocean to spawn each year, one of the great migrations of the animal kingdom.
• ★Christmas Island lies roughly 350 km south of Jakarta, Indonesia, but is governed as an external territory of Australia, over 2,600 km away.
• ★The island once issued its own currency tokens for use in phosphate-company stores, before the Australian dollar became the standard currency.

Christmas Island culture

• Chinese New Year, Hari Raya (Eid), and Christmas are all major public celebrations, reflecting the island's Chinese, Malay, and European communities.
• The annual red crab migration is such a major event that roads are closed and special crab bridges and underpasses are built to protect the crabs.
• Buddhist and Taoist temples stand alongside a mosque and a church in The Settlement, mirroring the island's multi-faith population.
• Local cuisine blends Chinese, Malay, and Australian influences, with fresh seafood a daily staple.

Why read Christmas Island's books

Christmas Island has no ancient literary tradition of its own , its books instead come from the naturalists, historians, and administrators who documented an island rediscovered and resettled within living memory.