Christmas Island is a territory of Australia (since 1957) in the Indian Ocean, which has an area of 135 square kilometres, and a population of 2,072 (70% Australian Chinese, 20% European, and 10% Malay), who live in a number of "settlement areas" on the northern tip of the island. The main settlement is Flying Fish Cove (also known as Kampong), the first British settlement on the island, established in 1888. About a third of the territory's total population lives in Flying Fish Cove. There is a small harbour which serves tourists with yachts.
Adjacent to the port area and the main mooring sites, the Flying Fish Cove is located at the base of the Settlement area and is home to the Kampong (Malay for village) and the Mosque. The Cove is suitable for both swimming and snorkelling, although it is advisable to wear reef shoes at all times to protect feet from sharp coral and stone fish. It offers many great shore dives and has some of the best diversity and abundance of tropical fish anywhere. The Cove also provides some of the most protected ocean swimming on the island.
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of a series featuring four varieties of crabs, issued on June 7, 2011:
• Red crab / Gecarcoidea natalis - The sight of the red crabs on their annual breeding migration is one of the outstanding natural spectacles of the world (0.60 AUD)
• Robber crab / Birgus latro - The robber crab lives mainly on fallen leaves and fruits of the rainforest, and is one of the largest and most common crabs on Christmas Island (0.60 AUD)
• Jackson's crab / Karstarma jacksoni - Along with the red and blue crabs, Jackson's crab is thought to be endemic to Christmas Island and is found in cool, moist environments (1.20 AUD) - It's on the postcard 1202
• Blue crab / Discoplax hirtipes - The blue crab lives mainly on the fallen leaves and fruits of the rainforest and is one of the largest and most common crabs found on Christmas Island (1.20 AUD) - it's on other postcard
The second stamp is part of the series Christmas Island National Park, issued on June 17, 2014:
• Beach (0.70 AUD)
• Forest (0.70 AUD)
• Sea cliffs (1.40 AUD) - It's on the postcard 1202
• Wetlands (2.10 AUD)
References
Christmas Island - Wikipedia
Christmas Island Sights - Christmas Island Tourism Association
Sender: ???
Sent from Flying Fish Cove (Christmas Island / Australia) on 15.07.2014
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