bere CHRISTMAS ISLAND * 01°59'N 157°29'W LINE ISLANDS General Christmas Island is one of the 3 islands in the Line Island Group which is administered by the United Kingdom. The other 2 islands, Fanning and Washington, are located northwest of Christmas. The island is headquarters for the Line Island District of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (Headquarters - Tarawa). The population is variable. Some 400 Gilbert Islanders are brought in annually for coconut plantation work. The United Kingdom conducted atomic nuclear tests here in 1957 and 1958 and the AEC utilized the island as a base facility for atmospheric testing in 1962-1963 during Operation Dominic. Physical Data This is the largest atoll in the Pacific; approximately 222 square miles in area and 100 miles in circumference. It is about 30 miles long; 15 miles wide at the west end, and 5 miles wide at the east end. Christmas Island is composed completely of coral rock and coral sand. The average elevation is 15 feet; the hills toward the west end of the island rise to 40-ft. There are many salty to brackish ponds and lagoons in the interior. Well water is mostly brackish. The principal thin scrub vegetation is the rounded Scaevola trees scattered over the island to form park landscape. There are large areas of bunchgrass. The east end of the island is practically barren, but there are many trees on the west end. Some 500,000 coconut palms, occupying 6,000 acres, are located on the west end of the island. There are many seabirds such as gannets, tropic-birds, frigate birds, and terns in addition to many house flies and mosquitoes. Fish include the mullet, bonefish, and baitfish; several of the species are poisonous, and are dangerous to eat. Poisonous water snakes are sometimes found. Climate The mean temperature is 80°F; temperatures below 70° and above 90° are quite rare. Rainfall is uncertain as the area lies within the equatorial dry zone. The rainy season is from April through June with monthly averages varying between 2 to 7 inches of rainfall and annual figures range between 10 and 100 inches. Humidity is high. Wind is dominantly from the east and may swing to the southeast from September through February. Facilities Minor port facilities containing safe anchorage in calm weather, and some dock facilities are available at the village of London on the west end of the island. Housing facilities are also available for a large number of men. The airfield has three airstrips, two of them are 6,900 feet long. Storage, POL, communications, electrical, and other facilities are also available on the island. * Ownership is in dispute between the United States and Great Britain. 38-1 VOL Il April 1969