You've got the domain and so now have your own little bit of Paradise. But just where is your island in the sun?

Christmas Island's full title is the Territory of Christmas Island. This is because it is an external territory of Australia. It is not autonomous, and falls under the authority of the Governor General of Australia and Australian Law. The constitution was set under the Christmas Island Act of 1958. As it is an Australian territory, Queen Elizabeth II is the chief of state, represented by the Australian Governor General. There are annual elections for the Christmas Island Shire Council which has nine seats, elected by the islanders to serve one year terms.

The island's official flag is the flag of Australia. However, they do have a flag of their own which is used for state and civil occasions and has been in use since 14th April 1986.

The Christmas Island flag

In early 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly held a competition to design a flag for the island. A prize of A$100 was offered, and a total of 69 entries were received, both from residents and former residents of the island.

The competition was won by Tony Couch from Sydney who had worked on the island for four years as a phosphate mining rigging supervisor.

The blue and green triangles represent the water and the vegetation on the island. The stars on the blue section are the Southern Cross which also features on Australia's national flag. The bird on the green section is the Golden Bosun which is unique to Christmas Island. The gold disc in the centre has come to represent the phospate mining industry, and contains a small map of the island.

Although the Christmas Island Assembly held the competition for the flag's design, they have never fomally adopted the flag for the territory, or given guidelines for its usage. The flag is, therefore, still an unofficial flag.