World History
History of Christmas Island. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the World History Blog. And what better place to spend Christmas than at Christmas Island? No, it is not a fictional island from an old animated holiday special but a real place. This brief essay has a short history of the island.
The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Officially Territory of Christmas Island island in the Indian Ocean, about 224 miles (360 km) south of the island of Java and 870 miles (1,400 km) northwest of Australia; it is administered as an external territory of Australia. It has an area of 52 square miles (135 square km) and comprises the summit of an oceanic mountain. The highest point on the island is Murray Hill, rising to 1,184 feet (361 m) above sea level in the western part of the island. The main settlement and chief port is at Flying Fish Cove on the northeastern part of the island."
From the site:
It is not known when and by whom the island was discovered, but under the name of Moni it appears on a Dutch chart of 1666. It was first visited in 1688 by Dampier, who found it uninhabited. In 1886 Captain Maclear of H.M.S. "Flying Fish," having discovered an anchorage in a bay which he named Flying Fish Cove, landed a party and made a. small but interesting collection of the flora and fauna.
In the following year Captain Aldrich on H.M.S. " Egeria " visited it, accompanied by Mr J. J. Lister, F.R.S., who formed a larger biological and mineralogical collection. Among the rocks then obtained and submitted to Sir John Murray for examination there were detected specimens of nearly pure phosphate of lime, a discovery which eventually led, in June 1888, to the annexation of the island to the British crown. Soon afterwards a small settlement was established in Flying Fish Cove by Mr G. Clunies Ross, the owner of the Keeling Islands, which lie about 750 M. to the westward. In 1881 Mr Ross and Sir John Murray were granted a lease, but on the further discovery of phosphatic deposits they disposed of their rights in 1897 to a company. In the same year a thorough scientific exploration was made, at the cost of Sir John Murray, by Mr C. W. Andrews, of the British Museum.
When the first settlers arrived, in 1897, it was covered with a dense forest of great trees and luxuriant under-shrubbery. Prior to colonization, the island had never been inhabited.
- History Of Mauritius
History of Mauritius. This is a brief history of the island nation of Mauritius which lies east of the African continent. It is a good bet most Americans have never heard of the place. The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Officially Republic Of Mauritius,...
- History Of Grenada
History of Grenada. This is a brief history of the Caribbean island nation of Grenada. It most recently made headlines in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan decided an American invasion was in order. The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Byname Isle of Spice,...
- History Of Saint Helena
History of Saint Helena. This site has a brief history of the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. It is best known as the place where Napoleon died. Wikipedia notes, "Saint Helena is an island of volcanic origin and an overseas territory of the United...
- History Of Guam
History of Guam. This site offers a brief overview to the pacific island territory of Guam. From the site: Guam was discovered by Magellan in 1521, was occupied by Spain in 1688, was captured by the United States cruiser " Charleston " in June 1899, and...
- History Of Nauru
History of Nauru. This is an overview to the history of the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru. From the site: Nauru had little contact with Europeans until whaling ships and other traders began to visit in the 1830s. The introduction of firearms and...
World History
History of Christmas Island
History of Christmas Island. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the World History Blog. And what better place to spend Christmas than at Christmas Island? No, it is not a fictional island from an old animated holiday special but a real place. This brief essay has a short history of the island.The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Officially Territory of Christmas Island island in the Indian Ocean, about 224 miles (360 km) south of the island of Java and 870 miles (1,400 km) northwest of Australia; it is administered as an external territory of Australia. It has an area of 52 square miles (135 square km) and comprises the summit of an oceanic mountain. The highest point on the island is Murray Hill, rising to 1,184 feet (361 m) above sea level in the western part of the island. The main settlement and chief port is at Flying Fish Cove on the northeastern part of the island."
From the site:
It is not known when and by whom the island was discovered, but under the name of Moni it appears on a Dutch chart of 1666. It was first visited in 1688 by Dampier, who found it uninhabited. In 1886 Captain Maclear of H.M.S. "Flying Fish," having discovered an anchorage in a bay which he named Flying Fish Cove, landed a party and made a. small but interesting collection of the flora and fauna.
In the following year Captain Aldrich on H.M.S. " Egeria " visited it, accompanied by Mr J. J. Lister, F.R.S., who formed a larger biological and mineralogical collection. Among the rocks then obtained and submitted to Sir John Murray for examination there were detected specimens of nearly pure phosphate of lime, a discovery which eventually led, in June 1888, to the annexation of the island to the British crown. Soon afterwards a small settlement was established in Flying Fish Cove by Mr G. Clunies Ross, the owner of the Keeling Islands, which lie about 750 M. to the westward. In 1881 Mr Ross and Sir John Murray were granted a lease, but on the further discovery of phosphatic deposits they disposed of their rights in 1897 to a company. In the same year a thorough scientific exploration was made, at the cost of Sir John Murray, by Mr C. W. Andrews, of the British Museum.
When the first settlers arrived, in 1897, it was covered with a dense forest of great trees and luxuriant under-shrubbery. Prior to colonization, the island had never been inhabited.
- History Of Mauritius
History of Mauritius. This is a brief history of the island nation of Mauritius which lies east of the African continent. It is a good bet most Americans have never heard of the place. The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Officially Republic Of Mauritius,...
- History Of Grenada
History of Grenada. This is a brief history of the Caribbean island nation of Grenada. It most recently made headlines in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan decided an American invasion was in order. The Encyclopædia Britannica notes, "Byname Isle of Spice,...
- History Of Saint Helena
History of Saint Helena. This site has a brief history of the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. It is best known as the place where Napoleon died. Wikipedia notes, "Saint Helena is an island of volcanic origin and an overseas territory of the United...
- History Of Guam
History of Guam. This site offers a brief overview to the pacific island territory of Guam. From the site: Guam was discovered by Magellan in 1521, was occupied by Spain in 1688, was captured by the United States cruiser " Charleston " in June 1899, and...
- History Of Nauru
History of Nauru. This is an overview to the history of the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru. From the site: Nauru had little contact with Europeans until whaling ships and other traders began to visit in the 1830s. The introduction of firearms and...