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The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located 2600 km (1615.6 mi) northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, 360 km (223.7 mi) south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and 975 km (605.8 mi) ENE of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. It has a population of 1,403 residents who live in a number of "settlement areas" on the northern tip of the island: Flying Fish Cove (also known as Kampong), Silver City, Poon Saan, and Drumsite. The island’s geographic isolation and history of minimal human disturbance has led to a high level of endemism among its flora and fauna, which is of significant interest to scientists and naturalists. 63% of its 135 km2 (52.1 sqmi) is an Australian national park. There exist large areas of primary monsoonal forest. Phosphate, deposited originally as dead marine organisms (not guano as often thought), has been mined on the island for many years. |