Christmas Island is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, south of Java. Its main settlement is Flying Fish Cove.
Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Flying Fish Cove; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapChristmas Island is an Indian Ocean island with a steep-sided limestone plateau above a volcanic foundation. Much of the interior is higher than the narrow coastal areas. Cliffs and terraces limit easy access around parts of the shore.
Tropical forest covers substantial areas of the island. The limestone landscape includes caves and places where water moves underground. Forested plateaus, steep coastal slopes and small beaches form a compact but distinctive physical setting.
Christmas Island is warm and humid, with a seasonal rainy period. Trade winds moderate the heat during the drier part of the year.
The island is known for land crabs and other wildlife adapted to an isolated environment. Seasonal rain affects animal activity and water movement. Forest habitats and marine conditions are closely connected around its short, steep catchments.
Territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper left to lower right; the upper triangle is green with a yellow silhouette of the golden bosun bird; the lower triangle is blue and shows the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia; a centered yellow disk displays a green outline of the island
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Christmas Island economy · Australian Government · environment and heritage
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Forest reaches the cliffs of Christmas Island’s east coast.
Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Christmas Island’s red crabs are a distinctive part of its forest ecosystem.
Photo: ChrisBrayPhotography · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
English is used in administration and education. Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese and other Chinese varieties are also part of everyday community life.
The island’s language landscape reflects its Chinese, Malay and European settlement history. Community-language use is particularly important in understanding Christmas Island beyond its status as an Australian external territory.
Britain annexed Christmas Island in 1888, and phosphate mining shaped its subsequent settlement and economy. Japanese forces occupied the island during the Second World War. Administration passed from the UK to Australia in 1958. The island is an Australian external territory, rather than an independent country.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Christmas Island economy · Australian Government · environment and heritage
Public services and phosphate mining are important economic activities. Tourism centres on the island’s wildlife, rainforest, marine environment and annual red crab migration. Its small market and isolated location make imported supplies and air and sea links especially important.
Phosphate mining, public services, visitor accommodation, transport and retail.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Christmas Island economy · Australian Government · environment and heritage
1,692 · 2021 Census · Australian Bureau of Statistics
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Christmas Island economy · Australian Government · environment and heritage
An Australian external territory administered under Commonwealth law. An Administrator represents the Australian Government, and an elected Shire Council provides local services. Many state-type services are delivered through arrangements with Western Australia.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Christmas Island economy · Australian Government · environment and heritage
Three questions about Christmas Island.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Christmas Island economy · Australian Government · environment and heritage
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
