1329 AUSTRALIA (Christmas Island) - The annual red crab mass migration

1329 The annual red crab mass migration in Christmas Island

Located at 500km south of Indonesia, and at 1,560km from the town of Exmouth, the closest point of the Australian mainland, Christmas Island is quite isolated, so had a high level of endemism among its flora and fauna. Unfortunately two species of native rats have become extinct, the endemic Christmas Island Shrew has not been seen since the mid-1980s, while the Christmas Island Pipistrelle (a small bat) is critically endangered and possibly also extinct. Now the land crabs and sea birds are the most noticeable fauna on the island.

1202 AUSTRALIA (Christmas Island) - Flying Fish Cove

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.