Christmas Island, Australia
Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory that includes the same-named island. It is located in the Indian Ocean, approximately 350 kilometers south of Java and Sumatra and around 1,550 kilometers northwest of the closest point on the Australian peninsula. It is about 2,600 kilometers northwest of Perth and 1,327 kilometers south of Singapore. It covers an area of 135 square kilometers. Christmas Island has a population of roughly 2000 people, the majority of whom lives in towns on the island’s northern rim. The principal settlement is Flying Fish Cove. Christmas Island’s geographic isolation and history of little human disturbance have resulted in a high level of endemism among its flora and wildlife, which scientists and naturalists are interested in. The Christmas Island National Park encompasses the majority of the island and contains various regions of primary monsoonal forest.