In 1957 the Australian government acquired Christmas Island from Singapore for a price of £2.9 million.
Christmas Island was originally annexed by Great Britain in 1888. It was transferred to Australia by the British Government – Singapore had not achieved independence in 1958.
The first contingent of 200 Chinese labourers were imported for phosphate mining, mainly from Malaya and Singapore.
The population comprises 60% Chinese, 25% Malay, 15% European and others. Most are Australian citizens. Total population 1500.
Christmas Island is near to the equator giving it an advantage over other locations as a site for a commercial space launch facility. The first launch took place in 2003 for the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA)
Singapore Dollar Exchange Rate
No comments:
Post a Comment