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Compare Christmas Island (2003) - Southern Ocean (2005)
Compare Christmas Island (2003) z Southern Ocean (2005)
| Christmas Island (2003) | Southern Ocean (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | - |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.) |
- |
| Agriculture - products | NA | - |
| Airports | 1 (2002) | - |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
- |
| Area | total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 20.327 million sq km
note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies |
| Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than twice the size of the US |
| Background | 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. | A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). |
| Birth rate | NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | - |
| Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
- |
| Capital | The Settlement | - |
| Climate | tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds | sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter |
| Coastline | 80 km | 17,968 km |
| Constitution | NA | - |
| Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
- |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | - |
| Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | - |
| Debt - external | $NA | - |
| Dependency status | territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | - |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | - |
| Disputes - international | none | Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA | - |
| Economy - overview | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, slated to begin operation in 2003. | Fisheries in 2000-01 (1 July to 30 June) landed 112,934 metric tons, of which 87% was krill and 11% Patagonian toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and antarctic toothfish. In the 2000-01 antarctic summer 12,248 tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 the previous year. |
| Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | - |
| Electricity - production | NA kWh | - |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m |
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench
highest point: sea level 0 m |
| Environment - current issues | NA | increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish
note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries |
| Environment - international agreements | - | the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)
note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north |
| Ethnic groups | Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
- |
| Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173(2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998) | - |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator William Leonard TAYLOR (since 4 February 1999) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
- |
| Exports | $NA | - |
| Exports - commodities | phosphate | - |
| Exports - partners | Australia, NZ | - |
| Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | - |
| Flag description | the flag of Australia is used; note - in early 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly held a design competition for an island flag, however, the winning design has never been formally adopted as the official flag of the territory | - |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $NA | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
- |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $NA | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA% | - |
| Geographic coordinates | 10 30 S, 105 40 E | 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude |
| Geography - note | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean | the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds |
| Highways | total: 240 km
paved: 30 km unpaved: 210 km (2000) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
- |
| Imports | $NA | - |
| Imports - commodities | consumer goods | - |
| Imports - partners | principally Australia | - |
| Independence | none (territory of Australia) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
| Industries | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) | - |
| Infant mortality rate | total: NA%
male: NA% female: NA% |
- |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | - |
| International organization participation | none | - |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | - |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court | - |
| Labor force | NA | - |
| Labor force - by occupation | tourism 400 people, mining 100 people (1995) | - |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | - |
| Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park (1998 est.) |
- |
| Languages | English (official), Chinese, Malay | - |
| Legal system | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law | - |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve one-year terms)
elections: last held NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 |
- |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years (2003 est.) |
- |
| Literacy | NA | - |
| Location | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia | body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Antarctic Region |
| Maritime claims | contiguous zone: 12 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
- |
| Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | - |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | - |
| National holiday | NA | - |
| Nationality | noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
- |
| Natural hazards | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard | huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue |
| Natural resources | phosphate, beaches | probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes |
| Net migration rate | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | none | - |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | none | - |
| Population | 433 (July 2003 est.) | - |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
| Population growth rate | -9% (2003 est.) | - |
| Ports and harbors | Flying Fish Cove | McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica
note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7) |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | - |
| Railways | 24 km to serve phosphate mines | - |
| Religions | Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) | - |
| Sex ratio | NA (2003 est.) | - |
| Telephone system | general assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: only analog mobile telephone service is available international: satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service (2000) |
- |
| Telephones - main lines in use | NA | - |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | - |
| Television broadcast stations | NA | - |
| Terrain | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau | the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers |
| Total fertility rate | NA children born/woman (2003 est.) | - |
| Transportation - note | - | Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal |
| Unemployment rate | NA% | - |
| Waterways | none | - |
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