Place details
Place nameKiritimati
Other namesChristmas Island
CountryKiribati
Latitude2
Longitude-157.5
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
World's largest coral atoll; comprises half of the total area of the nation of Kiribati; was known to navigators since around 1650; was charted by British explorer Cook in 1777; occupied by Japanese 1942-1945; used as airbase.