Updated: 02 June 2003

Christmas Island

• Location
• Mining
• Red Crabs
• Geology
• Climate
• Reef Formations

Christmas Island can be found 2300 kilometres north-west of Perth, at latitude 10°25' South and longitude 105°43' East. It is actually closer to Java than Australia, by 1040 kilometres. Christmas Island measures 135 square kilometres in area, of which approximately 60% has been declared as National Parks. This island has a central plateau and from here the land falls away steeply towards the sea in a series of terraces and slopes.

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Mining of phosphate is a large contributor to the island's economy, however the focus is moving more towards tourism and related industries. The phosphate is derived from the bird droppings.

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Christmas Island is famous for red crabs and their migration across the island, which often causes havoc with the residents by blocking roads.This abundance of land crabs is not matched by any other island and has been described as one of the wonders of the natural world. The crabs migrate to the sea to spawn each year in synchronisation with the moon.

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Christmas island is the summit of a submarine mountain, which rises steeply to a central plateau. This plateau can reach heights of up to 361 metres and consists mainly of limestone and layers of volcanic rock. Surrounding the island is a narrow reef, with very little coastal shelf. The ocean floor plunges steeply to about 500m depth in 200m width.

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Christmas Island experiences a tropical equatorial climate with wet and dry seasons. The wet season is from December to April when the island comes under the influence of the north-west monsoons. During the rest of the year the south-east trade winds bring slightly lower temperatures and humidity, and much less rain to the island. Tropical cyclones occasionally pass close to the island during the monsoon season bringing strong winds, rain and rough seas. Since settlement no cyclone has been recorded passing directly over the island.

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Christmas Island is surrounded by a narrow tropical reef which plunges steeply to the ocean floor. Within twenty metres of the shoreline, you can find some of the steepest drop-offs in the world. Combined with the diverse array of aquatic wildlife making it's home in the reef, these undersea formations make diving very popular on Christmas Island.