| 1. | an Australian island in the Indian Ocean, ab. 190 mi. (300 km) S of Java. 3300; 52 sq. mi. (135 sq. km). |
| 2. | one of the Line Islands, in Kiribati (Gilbert Islands), in the central Pacific; sovereignty disputed by U.S.: largest atoll in the Pacific; former U.S. test center for nuclear warheads. ab. 220 sq. mi. (575 sq. km). |
Christmas Island
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Ki·riti·mati  (kə-rĭs'məs)  The largest of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean near the equator. Discovered by James Cook in 1777, the island is now part of Kiribati. |
Christmas Island
island in the Indian Ocean, about 224 miles (360 km) south of the island of Java and 870 miles (1,400 km) northwest of Australia; it is administered as an external territory of Australia. It has an area of 52 square miles (135 square km) and comprises the summit of an oceanic mountain. The highest point on the island is Murray Hill, rising to 1,184 feet (361 m) above sea level in the western part of the island. The main settlement and chief port is at Flying Fish Cove on the northeastern part of the island.
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