Capital: Flying Fish Cove
Population: 1,843
Languages: English
Currency:
Australian Dollars
CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Christmas Island is an Australian External Territory located in the eastern Indian Ocean
340 km2 south of Java and 1,665 km2 northwest of Western Australia.
Christmas Island was annexed by the United Kingdom in 1888
and became part of the Straits Settlment and then the Crown Colony of Singapore.
It was briefly occupied by the Japanese between 1942-1945,
before reverting back to Singapore until 1958 when soverignty was transferred to Australia.
Australian stamps were overprinted from 1958-1963 when the first Christmas Island issues were printed.
Christmas Island is home to several endangered endemic reptiles and they feature on the island's stamps.

The other Australian External Territories issuing herpetological stamps:
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Norfolk Island

 

1981

REPTILES
(SG 144-147)

24c Cryptoblepharus egeriae
30c Emoia nativitata
40c Lepidodactylus listeri
60c Cyrtodactylus sp.nov.


 
Name on stamp
Current name
Proposed common name
24c
Cryptoblepharus egeriae
Cryptoblepharus egeriae
Blue-tailed snake-eyed skink
30c
Emoia nativitata
Emoia nativittatis
Christmas Is. whiptail skink
40c
Lepidodactylus listeri
Lepidodactylus listeri
Lister's scaly-toed gecko
60c
Cyrtodactylus sp.nov.
Cyrtodactylus sadlieri
Sadlier's bent-toed gecko

A very nice series illustrating four of the endemic and endangered lizards of Christmas Island.

1987

WILDLIFE
(SG 229-234, 244)

1c Blind snake
 Ramphotyphlops exocoeti
2c Blue-tailed skink
Cryptoblepharus egeriae
25c Gecko
Cyrtodactylus sp.nov.
$5 Green turtle
Chelonia mydas


 
Name on stamp
Current name
Proposed common name
1c
Ramphotyphlops exocoeti
Ramphotyphlops exocoeti
Christmas Island blindsnake
2c
Cryptoblepharus egeriae
Cryptoblepharus egeriae
Christmas Island blue-tailed
Snake-eyed Skink
25c
Cyrtodactylus sp.nov.
Cyrtodactylus sadlieri
Sadlier's bent-toed gecko
$1
Chelonia mydas
Chelonia mydas
Green sea turtle

A second and more attractive series of 17 stamps,
four illustrating endemic and endangered reptiles of Christmas Island
including the extremely threatened
Christmas Island blindsnake (Ramphotyphlops exocoeti).

 

1993

CHRISTMAS
(SG 382)

 
40c Christmas

One of three Christmas stamps from Christmas Island, Christmas 1993, featured a stylised sea turtle.

 

 

1998


MARINE LIFE
(SG 459)

45c Green turtle

 

45c Green turtle

 

 
Name on stamp
Current name
Proposed common name
45c
none
Chelonia mydas
Green sea turtle

 

Twenty stamps printed together as a se-tenant sheet so that their backgrounds
form one composite design, with one stamp featuring a Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

 

2001

YEAR OF THE SNAKE
(SG 487-488, MS 489)

45c, $1.35 Year of the Snake

Two stylised snakes for the 2001 Year of the Snake.

 

2002

CHINESE NEW YEAR
(SG 497)

15c Year of the Snake

A stylised snake in a series of 14 celebrating the Chinese New Years.

 

 

2009

AUSTRALIAN JOINT TERRITORIES ISSUE: SPECIES AT RISK
(SG n/a)

Australia
Norfolk Island
Australian Antarctic Territory
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
55c Bridled nailtail wallaby
55c Norfolk Island green parrot
55c Subantartic fur seal
55c Christmas Island blue-tailed skink
55c Green turtle

 
55c Christmas Island blue-tailed skink

 

 
Name on stamp
Current name
Proposed common name
55c
none
Cryptoblepharus egeriae
Christmas Island blue-tailed
snake-eyed skink

One of a series of five stamps issued for Australia and her Territories, the Christmas Island stamp featuring the endemic Blue-tailed Skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae). The Cocos (Keeling) Islands issue features a sea turtle (see Cocos Keeling page). The stamps were issued as gummed and perforated, and as self-ashesive sets.

 

 

 

Associated links on this site:
Christmas Island first day covers

 

 

 
Is 100 hours per year of teaching a heavy load for a lecturer