Christmas Island

<br /><br /> Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future.

Climate

Tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds.

Landscape

Steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau.

The island is safe all times of the day in the populated areas, locals usually leave their houses and car unlocked. There is no poisonous or dangerous animals/insects on the island. The most likely danger is large waves at cliffs and coastal waters during the monsoon(October - February). There are occasional sighting of reef and hammerhead sharks off the coast near the 'drop offs' (underwater coastal shelf which drops off into the ocean deeps usually 5 - 30 meters offshore) , however there have been no reported sharks attacks on Christmas Island in recorded history. It is recommended that you bring a local or get local advice before heading off to any unpopulated or national parks areas.