CHRISTMAS (KIRITIMATI) ISLAND
Christmas Island Message Forum
Christmas Island is one of the many interesting islands in the Republic of Kiribati. Part of the Line Island Group, it is the largest coral atoll in the world with an area of 248 square miles of which 125 square miles is land and remainder lagoon. Its population is mainly Micronesian from the I-Kiribati archipelago, with a small group of Polynesians from Tuvalu and some expatriates.
I am very pleased to be able to present a short history in addition to images of this remote and fascinating part of Oceania.
I was fortunate to live on Christmas Island for nearly five years and the images that I have presented below are an accurate pictorial representation of my recollections of Christmas Island.
Roman Catholic church - 2000
Beach scene, Main Camp, 2000
Christmas Island was named by Captain James Cook who discovered it on Christmas Day, 1777. Cook's entries in the ship's log suggest that Cook had a dismal view of Christmas Island. Indeed, Cook was not alone in this view. A later owner, Father Emmanuel Rougier was almost lyrical in his account of the island after his first view in 1912. He later registered his company and stated that "the intention is to populate the island with colonists and workers of all nationalities and colours".
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Christmas Island is indeed subject to severe and sometimes prolonged drought and no doubt Captain Cook's visit coincided with one of these. The average rainfall is about 30 inches annually and in the last 25 years there are only eleven years on which this has been reached or exceeded.
Christmas Island - hut
There have been periodic occupation on Christmas Island and this has been well established by the archaeological remains which have been found. Why they came and why they went is a parenthesis of stepping stones in the wider mystery of the great Polynesian triangle from New Zealand to the Marquesas and northward to Hawaii. One hypothesis which found favour with anthropologists some years ago suggest that these ancient voyages followed the migratory paths of land birds, knowing from observation year after year that, as they could not land on the sea, they must be flying to land somewhere.
Aerial view - Christmas Island - 2000
Christmas Island has been almost continuously occupied only since 1882, when the first attempt was made to plant coconuts for copra production commercially. But even in that comparatively short period it has drawn its workers from Hawaii, Manihiki, Tahiti, Niue and, since 1941, from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Kiribati and Tuvalu).
Christmas Island is the largest coral atoll in the world with an area of 248 square miles of which 125 square miles is land and the remainder lagoon. It is 2,015 miles from Tarawa, capital of the Republic of Kiribati; 1,335 miles from Honolulu; 4,000 miles from Sydney, Australia and 3,250 miles from San Francisco. It lies between longitude 157 degrees 10' west and 157 degrees 34' west and latitudes 1 degree 42' north and 2 degrees 3' north. It is 145 miles north of the equator.
Map of Christmas (Kiritimati) Island
Travelling to Christmas Island is normally by the weekly Aloha Airline flights from Honolulu. In addition I-Kiribati ships visit the Line Islands three or four times each year and intermittent visits by fuel tankers and tourist ships.
Tourist ship anchored off Christmas Island, 2000
There is a wild life sanctuary on Christmas Island plus an extensive population of bird life which include shearwater, petel, tropic birds, frigate birds, terns, noddys and the Christmas Island warbler which is only found on Christmas Island. Fish are found in profusion in Christmas Island's lagoons and the ocean water are home to bonefish, trevally, wahoo, yellow fin tuna, sailfish, groupers and sharks.
NOTICE
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Welcome everybody to Micronesia Music Anthology which is available on The anthology can be accessed by clicking on the 'Broadcast Schedule' after logging in to Micronesia Music Radio. This should allow you to determine when the anthology is available in your part of the world. For example, in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Australia, the anthology is available at 12 noon each Saturday. In Kiribati, the anthology is available each Saturday afternoon at 2 pm; California at 7 pm each Friday evening; New York at 10 pm each Friday evening, along with Florida and Boston, Massachusetts, USA, etc. The anthology runs for 90 minutes in which the traditional chants are introduced, including many from Kiribati, followed by the beautiful songs of Micronesia. Thank you! The schedule can also be accessed here
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Jane's
Kiribati Home Page
Kiribati 2000
Oceania -The Last Voyage of Captain James Cook.
Christmas Island Bomb Tests
Jane's
Oceania Home Page
