Coordinates: 1°53′00″N, 157°24′00″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

NASA photograph of Kiritimati Island, taken from the International Space Station.

Kiritimati map

Kiritimati—also called Christmas Island—is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands and part of the Republic of Kiribati. The island has the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world: 642 square kilometres (248 sq mi). Indeed, it comprises over 70% of the total land area of Kiribati, a nation encompassing 33 Pacific atolls. Download high resolution version (1748x1389, 246 KB)NASA photo of Kiritimati Island, taken from the ISS 16 January 2002, from http://earthobservatory. ... Download high resolution version (1748x1389, 246 KB)NASA photo of Kiritimati Island, taken from the ISS 16 January 2002, from http://earthobservatory. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 790 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1468 × 1114 pixel, file size: 159 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 790 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1468 × 1114 pixel, file size: 159 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ... Portion of a Pacific atoll showing two islets on the ribbon or barrier reef separated by a deep pass between the ocean and the lagoon. ... The Line Islands are a group of eleven atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean south of the Hawaiian Islands, eight of which belong to Kiribati, while three are United States territories that are grouped with the United States Minor Outlying Islands. ... Atoll in the western Pacific Ocean Photo: www. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ...

Kiritimati is about 150 km in perimeter. Parts of its lagoon are dried out. In addition to the main island, there are several smaller ones. Cook Island has a size of 19 ha and a large seabird colony. Other islands are Motu Upua (> 19 ha), Ngaontetaake (27 ha), and Motu Tabu (3.5 ha). This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ...

History

Kiritimati was discovered by Europeans on December 24, 1777 by Captain James Cook. Kiritimati is the Gilbertese spelling of Christmas (in Gilbertese, the ti combination is pronounced s; thus kee-rees-mass). Gilbertese is the only language spoken on the island. is the 358th day of the year (359th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1777 (MDCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Blue plaque for Captain James Cook Captain James Cook FRS RN (27 October 1728 (O.S.) – 14 February 1779) was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer. ... Gilbertese or Kiribati (sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both) is a language from the Austronesian family, part of the Oceanian branch and of the Nuclear Micronesian subbranch. ... Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...

This island was once claimed under the Guano Islands Act of 1856 for the United States. This claim has been formally ceded by a treaty between US and Kiribati signed in 1979 (ratified in 1983). The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

During World War II, the US Army Air Forces maintained a weather station and a communications center on the atoll. They were serviced by an airstrip which also provided rest and refueling facilities for planes traveling between Hawaii and the South Pacific. There was also a small civilian radio-meteorological research station. ^[1]

Presently, there are four villages on the island: Masouleh village, Gilan Province, Iran. ...

All villages are listed in the following table, with the preliminary census results of 2005: 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ...

London is the main village and port facility. Banana is near Cassidy Airport but may be relocated closer to London to prevent contamination of the groundwater. The abandoned village of Paris is not listed in census reports anymore. Many of the place names in the island date from Father Emmanuel Rougier, a French priest who leased the island from 1917 to 1939 and planted some 800,000 coconut trees there. He lived in his Paris house (now, only small ruins) located across the Burgle Channel (main entrance to the lagoon) from Londres (or London, which he established as a port). La colline de Joe (Joe's Hill) is the highest point on the atoll (less than 12 m or 40 ft above sea level) near Artemia Corners. 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... London can be seen near the North in this diagram. ... London can be seen near the North in this diagram. ... 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section should include material from Tenancy agreement A lease is a contract conveying from one person (the lessor) to another person (the lessee) the right to use and control some article of property for a specified period of time (the term), without conveying ownership, in exchange for... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Binomial name L. For other uses, see Coconut (disambiguation). ... This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ...

The British tested their first H-Bomb here in May 1957 (Operation Grapple), and the United States conducted Operation Dominic here in 1962. Some toponyms come from the nuclear test period (like Banana and Main Camp). The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Operation Grapple: Grapple X Valiant XD824 being bombed-up behind canvas screens Operation Grapple was a United Kingdom tri-service exercise leading to the detonation of the first British hydrogen bomb on May 15, 1957. ... Pacific Ocean detonation Operation Dominic I and II was a series of 105 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1962 and 1963 by the United States. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Operation Grapple: Grapple X Valiant XD824 being bombed-up behind canvas screens Operation Grapple was a United Kingdom tri-service exercise leading to the detonation of the first British hydrogen bomb on May 15, 1957. ...

There is a Japanese JAXA satellite tracking station and an abandoned airfield (Aeon Field) proposed for reuse by the Japanese for their now-canceled HOPE-X project (a space shuttle). The Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) is Japans aerospace agency. ... HOPE = H-II Orbiting Plane HOPE-X = HOPE-Experimental A joint venture between NASDA and NAL (both now part of JAXA), started in the 1980s as part of the Japanese contribution to the International Space Station, was cancelled in 2003. ...

The island has about 5,000 inhabitants and 2 representatives in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu. The ministry of the Line and Phoenix islands is located in London. There are also two new high schools on the road between Tabwakea and Banana: one Catholic and one Protestant. Politics of Kiribati takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Kiribati is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Protestantism encompasses the forms...

Previously (ended on April 26, 2004) a charter flight by Air Kiribati (done by Aloha Airlines) connected Christmas to Honolulu every week with a Boeing 737. Provisional jets shortly replaced it. Since October 2005, Air Pacific makes a weekly stop between Honolulu and Nadi in Fiji. Cassidy Airport (IATA-code CXI) has a paved runway with a length of 6900 ft/2103 m. A large and modern jetty, handling some cargo, was built by the Japanese. is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Air Kiribati is the national airline of Kiribati operating local passenger services within the Kiribati Islands (formerly known as the Gilbert Islands). ... Aloha Airlines (IATA: AQ, ICAO: AAH, and Callsign: Aloha) is an airline headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii USA. It operates extensive scheduled services within the Hawaiian Islands, and between Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body airliner. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Air Pacific 747 Air Pacific 787 Air Pacific is the international airline of Fiji and is based in Nadi. ... Sri Siva Subramaniya temple, a centre of worship for Fijis Hindu community and one of Nadis most visible landmarks. ... Alternate meanings: See Jetty (web server) Alternate meanings: See Jettying in buildings The term jetty, derived from the French jetie, and therefor signifying something thrown out, is applied to a variety of structures employed in river, dock and maritime works which are generally carried out in pairs from river banks...

Rainfall is low except during El Niño years. The flora and the fauna are unique, but the island is affected by regular, severe droughts. Most of the atoll's food supplies have to be imported. Marine fish also provide a healthy portion of the island's nutrition, although overfishing has caused a drastic decrease in the populations of large, predatory fish over the last several years. Exports of the atoll include aquarium fish, coconuts, and seaweed. Additionally, there is a small amount of tourism, mainly associated with anglers interested in lagoon bonefish fishing or offshore fishing. Chart of ocean surface temperature anomaly [°C] during the last strong El Niño in December 1997 El Niño and La Niña (also written in English as El Nino and La Nina) are major temperature fluctuations in surface waters of the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. ... In Botany a Flora (or Floræ) is a collective term for plant life and can also refer to a descriptive catalogue of the plants of any geographical area, geological period, etc. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life. ... Fields outside Benambra, Victoria suffering from drought conditions A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. ... “Aquaria” redirects here. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded, covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Binomial name L. For other uses, see Coconut (disambiguation). ... Ascophyllum nodosum exposed to the sun in Nova Scotia, Canada Dead Mans Fingers (Codium fragile) off Massachusetts coast For the Marine Biology Summer internship Marine Algae by Friday Harbor Laboratories, see; Marine Algae For the band, see; Seaweed (band) For the rock musician, see; Seaweed (musician) Seaweeds are any... Tourists on Oahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. ...

Transportation

Air

Cassidy International Airport, the only airport in Kiribati to serve the Americas, is located just north of Banana. Cassidy International Airport (IATA: CXI, ICAO: PLCH) is an airport located north of Banana, Kiritimati, Kiribati. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America[1], Central America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ...

The inactive Aeon Airfield is located on the southeast, northwest of South East Point.

Trivia

• Kiritimati is the first inhabited place on Earth to experience the New Year each year (see Caroline Atoll, Kiribati).
• In the early 1950s, Wernher von Braun proposed using this island as a launch site for manned spacecraft.
• Kiritimati is also located very close to the Boeing-led Sea Launch satellite launching spot

The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. ... NASA orbital photo of Caroline Island. ... Wernher von Braun stands at his desk in the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama in May 1964, with models of rockets developed and in progress. ... Sea Launch command ship Sea Launch Commander Sea Launch is a spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit 3SL rockets. ...

External links

• Photos of British nuclear tests off Christmas Island
• Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers and the Cold War (Nuclear tests on Christmas Island)
• Various pictures of Kiritimati