Located at
10°30′S 105°40′E / -10.5, 105.667, the island is a
quadrilateral with hollowed sides, about 19 km (12 miles) in greatest length and 14.5 km (9 miles) in extreme breadth. The total land area is 135 km² (52 square miles), with 138.9 km (86.3 miles) of coastline. The island is the flat summit of a submarine mountain more than 4,572 m (15,000 ft) high, the depth of the platform from which it rises being about 14,000 feet (4267 m) and its height above the sea being upwards of 305 m (1,000 ft). The mountain was originally a
volcano, and some
basalt is exposed in places such as The Dales and Dolly Beach, but most of the surface rock is
limestone accumulated from the growth of
coral over millions of years.
The climate is
tropical, with heat and humidity moderated by trade winds. Steep cliffs along much of the coast rise abruptly to a central plateau. Elevation ranges from sea level to 361 m (1,184 ft) at Murray Hill. The island is mainly tropical
rainforest, of which 63% is National Park.
The narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard.
Christmas Island is 500 km south of Indonesia and about 2600 km northwest of Perth.
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