GREETINGS FROM CHRISTMAS ISLAND, SINGAPORE

Christmas Island Coastline (source: Peter McKiernan, Perth)

Did you know that Christmas Island was once a part of Singapore? According to sources, The 135 square km island (2 hours flight from Singapore) once belonged to the British through the Straits Settlement, and later the Crown Colony of Singapore. The sovereignty of the island was later transferred to Australia in 1957, and Singapore received £2.9 million as a compensation for the so-called “amount of phosphate foregone” during the transfer.

The island was discovered in 1643 on Christmas day by Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company. At that time, the uninhabited island was already on both the British and Dutch navigational charts. It was the discovery of phosphate by naturalist, Dr. John Murray which eventually led to the annexation of the island by the British crown on 6 June 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s using workers from Singapore, Malaya and China.

Till the late 20^th Century, Phosphate mining and export (600,000 tonnes p.a.) remains the main and stable economic activity for Christmas Island. In 1987, the Australian government decided to close the mine, only to reopen it again in 1991. Interestingly, in 1993, with the support of the Australian government, a USD34 million Christmas Island Casino and Resort was opened, only to close 5 years later.

As of 2006, the estimated population of the island stands at 1,493. The ethnic composition of the island is 70% Chinese (mainly Hokkien), 20% Europeans, and 10% Malays. The main religious practices on the island are Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. The official language is English, but Chinese and Malay languages are also spoken.

EXERCISE

How do you think the 135 square km island (Sentosa is 5 square km) could be developed IF Singapore had not “sold” the island to Australia? Take into considerstion the natural resource, as well as the rich flora and fauna on the island.