Map of Christmas Island with Silver City marked

Silver City is a village within Flying Fish Cove in the Australian overseas territory of Christmas Island. The population is made up of a mixture of various ethnicities such as Chinese, European, and Malay. The village was founded in the 1970s, and the houses were built to withstand the tropical cyclones.

Geography

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The village of Silver City is located within Flying Fish Cove in the Australian overseas territory of Christmas Island.[1][2][3] The area is made of uneven terrain with inclinations, resulting is heavier water flow rates during periods of rainfall.[4] The region is home to various avifauna including Asian koel, emerald dove, imperial pigeon, common sandpiper, brown noddy, white-tailed tropicbird, red-tailed tropicbird, great frigatebird, brown booby, Pacific reef heron, nankeen kestrel, Christmas white-eye, Christmas island thrush, Java sparrow, and Eurasian tree sparrow.[5]

Demographics

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The population consists of Chinese, European and Malays.[6] The village was founded in the 1970s, and the houses were built with aluminum and other metals with the intention of being able to withstand cyclones.[7][8] There are also large houses built in the contemporary Australian style.[6] The name silver city came from being synonymous with the aluminum clad houses.[9]

The locality also had housing owned by the Government of Australia, that were used to detain illegal immigrants who try to or enter Australia without valid documentation.[9] Large storm water drains carry runoff water towards an isolated area of the territory.[4] In the early 2000s, a casino was operated by a private company, which also provided mini-bus services were provided linking it with other communities.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Christmas Island: An Australian Treasure (PDF). Government of Australia (Report). November 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Silver city". Places in the world. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  3. ^ "Christmas Island" (PDF). Austlii. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Christmas Island rebuilding program" (PDF). Government of Australia. November 1992. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Bird List". e-Bird. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ^ a b Simone Dennis (2008). Christmas Island: An anthropological study. Cambria Press. ISBN 978-1-60497-510-9.
  7. ^ "Christmas Island". Government of Australia. December 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Christmas Island". Wave by Wave. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b Michelle Jasmin Dimasi. Australia’s Asylum Seeker Policy and Christmas Island (PDF). Swinburne University (Report). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  10. ^ Joint Committee Report (PDF). Government of Australia (Report). December 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2025.

10°26′00.65″S 105°40′59.79″E / 10.4335139°S 105.6832750°E / -10.4335139; 105.6832750