[[Image:Christmaslsland.gif |thumb|200px|Christmas Island]]
'''Christmas Island''' is a territory of [[Australia]] located in the [[Indian Ocean]] south of [[Indonesia]] and northwest of Australia. It was first discovered by the the British on December 25, 1643, hence the name of the island. The [[United Kingdom]] handed over sovereignty of the island to [[Australia]] in 1958 and it has remained in Australia's control since.
Christmas Island should not be confused with Kiritimati (formerly called Christmas Island; Kiritimati is the Gilbertese spelling of Christmas), which is an island in the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribass) <ref> https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kr.html </ref>
== Geography ==
* [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kt.html CIA Factbook]
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