Christmas Island

 

Today being the last Monday of the year, I will tell you a bit about Christmas Island.

Christmas Island is one of those places that feels almost mythical until you dive into the details, it is a tiny Australian territory in the Indian Ocean with wildlife and landscapes you won’t find anywhere else.

It sits about 350 km south of Java and 1,550 km northwest of mainland Australia. Despite being closer to Asia, it’s an Australian external territory with a population of around 1,692 people as of the 2021 census.

Its capital and only town is Flying Fish Cove, often simply called “The Settlement.”

Christmas Island is often called the “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean” because of its extraordinary biodiversity and minimal historical human disturbance. two-thirds of the island being a national park.

It’s home to millions of red crabs, whose annual migration to the sea is considered one of the world’s great natural spectacles — even praised by David Attenborough.

Every year, usually mid‑November to mid‑December, around 60 million red crabs march from the forest to the ocean to spawn. Roads close, bridges are built for crabs, and the whole island transforms into a moving red carpet.

There are also rare seabirds, tropical rainforests, freshwater wetlands, and dramatic sea cliffs.

The island is surrounded by pristine coral reefs and has more than 60 dive sites visitors may encounter whale sharks, dolphins, turtles, as well as other reef life.

It was named because it was sighted on Christmas Day in 1643 by Captain William Mynors and was first settled in the late 19th century due to rich phosphate deposits

Today it is Inhabited by a mix of Chinese, Malay, and Australian communities, reflected in languages, food, and festivals