25. December 1643 sighted Dutch sailors an island in the Indian ocean. Your discovery on Christmas certain your name. And later it was discovered Christmas island in the Pacific.
The first Christmas island in the Indian ocean between Australia and Indonesia and was first sighted by the Dutch Navigator William Mynors and his Crew on Christmas day in 1643. The 135-square-kilometer patch of volcanic origin, with about 1400 residents belongs since 1957 to Australia.
Flag of Christmas island
Divers are attracted to the areas in front of the island, because of the colourful underwater world attracts with colourful coral reefs, as well as with the presence of the majestic whale sharks that go between November and April in the coves on prey.
Christmas crab on the beach
In addition, the Fauna of Christmas island, annual nesting fascinated here is around 80,000 seabirds and red crabs walking regularly on the beaches of the island.
Inspiration for “treasure island”
The other approximately 375-square-kilometer Christmas island is an Atoll in the Pacific, has about 5000 inhabitants and is located to the South of Hawaii. It belongs to the island nation of Kiribati.
Satellite image of Kiribati
The Briton James Cook discovered the island on 24. December, 1777, and named it Christmas island. In the language of the country the word was to Kiritimati, a transcription of the English “Christmas”. Less than 6000 travellers visiting every year, the shores of the island state of Kiribati. The Christmas island international is primarily known as one of the best places, where sport fishing of bone fish fishing.
Flag of Kiribati
Even VIPs were already in place: The writer Robert Louis Stevenson visited over 200 years ago, the Atolls of the island nation of Kiribati. Allegedly, the well-known author has written on his travels, many Essays and sketches, which he later processed to masterpieces such as “treasure island”.
Eastern Islands, Houtman-Abrolhos Archipelago, Australia
Easter as a name
In addition, only the detection of the end of December is not a good enough reason to name an island after a holiday. The best example of this is the Easter Islands, of which there are several: the name carries a 60 kilometres off the Australian coast, the island group that is part of the Houtman-Abrolhos archipelago.
Easter island in the Pacific
In the South-East Pacific, another Easter island, which belongs politically to Chile, and geographically to Polynesia. On 5. April 1722 Expedition led by the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen explored the secluded island with just as enigmatic as huge, made of tuff stone-carved heads. The Europeans called it Easter island, “because this was the Easter Sunday”, as the Roggeveens Crew belonging to Rostock, Carl Friedrich Behrens held succinctly. Since 1995, the island, also Rapa Nui called, part of the UNESCO world heritage site.
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The Easter IslandEyes on!
In 1722, the Dutch Navigator discovered by Roggeveen on the small island. Since Easter was, he called it Easter island. She is only 24 km long and 13 km wide. It is lonely in the South Pacific, and forms the easternmost corner of the Polynesian culture area. Since 1888, the island belongs to Chile.
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The Easter IslandHuge
The Easter island as this island in the Pacific. By volcanic eruptions in the sea a hot mass of rock from inside the earth comes to the top. There, it cools down and becomes hard. A mountain is piled on, the projects with the time on the sea surface. The Easter island is on the whole made up of three volcanoes.
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The Easter IslandSleeping Giant
…are the volcanoes of the island now. They are extinct and therefore no longer a danger to the people. In the craters, the indigenous people collected their drinking water. Today’s residents use pumps to transport the groundwater to the top.
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The Easter IslandVery nice and big
…these stone figures. From the volcanic rock by the islanders customized to the 17th century. Century, the up to 20 Meter high moai. They wanted to worship the famous ancestors. The Moais since 1995 a UNESCO world heritage site.
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The Easter IslandCelebrate together
…the present-day inhabitants of Easter island to the beginning of the year, the traditional Tapati Festival. They compete in various competitions. A discipline of the fancy body paint. Today, nearly 6000 people live on Easter island. Of these, about two-thirds are descendants of the indigenous population. The other inhabitants are immigrants, mainly from Chile.
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The Easter IslandUnique
The Toromiro tree is found only on Easter island. From its wood the inhabitants carved ritual images. Today it is extinct in the wild and is only cultivated in Botanical gardens.
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The Easter IslandSweltering Guest
The Rußseeschwalbe breeds preferably on rock formations in the vicinity of the Equator. You are looking for small depressions in the Rock to lay their eggs. The small rocks around the Easter island offer you an ideal place to breed. The Rest of the time the Rußseeschwalbe spends in the air.
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The Easter IslandEgg hunt
The arrival of the swallows on Easter island gave the male natives of the occasion for a Competition. They swam to their breeding place on this islet. It is the Easter is similar to search egg: Who was first the Egg of the Rußseeschwalbe, had won.
is/ks (kna, dpa)