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The postage stamps and postal history of Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, was linked to its original economic situation until 1993. Mainly ruled by a phosphate production commission, the island was part of the British Strait Settlements colony from 1901 to 1942, then of Singapore from 1946 to 1958. Although it was placed under Australian control in 1958, the island remained postally and philatelically independent until 1993 when Australia Post became the island's postal operator. The island issued its own postage stamps from 1958. Those issued by Australia Post since 1993 are also valid in Australia, as are Australian stamps in Christmas Island. According to the Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue,〔''Commonwealth Stamp Catalogue Australia'', Stanley Gibbons, 4th edition, 2007, pages 104 to 112.〕 32 stamps were issued when postal responsibility was exercised by the Phosphate Commission between 1958 and 1969, and 335 under the responsibility of the Christmas Island Administration between 1969 and 1993. From March 1993 to February 2003, during its ten first years of postal responsibility, Australia Post issued 153 stamps for Christmas Island. == Linked to the Straits Settlements == Christmas Island was annexed by the United Kingdom in 1888 and exploited by the Christmas Island Phosphate Company since 1899 with European employees and Malayan and Chinese workers. A post agency was opened in 1901, managed by the District Officer, the representative of the Straits Settlements colony on the island.〔Richard Breckon, "Christmas Island's Stamps and Postal History: 50 Years of Australian Administration", ''Gibbons Stamp Monthly'', October 2008, pages 81–85.〕 The agency sold stamps of this colony, figuring the British monarch. Mail travelled between Christmas Island and Singapore with cargo and migrant workers by the ships commanded by the company. Most of the small amount of mail was sent and received by the European part of the population.〔 During World War II, the Japanese forces invaded the island on 31 March 1942.〔''Commonwealth Stamp Catalogue Australia'', Stanley Gibbons, 4th edition, 2007, page 104.〕 After the British forces liberated Christmas Island, British Military Administration overprinted stamps of Malaya were in use in the island.〔 The civil postal agency was reopened by the end of 1946.〔 After these events, the local postal system followed the political changes in British Malaya. Administratively linked to Singapore in April 1946, Christmas Island received this colony's stamps in 1948, but the mail was transported by the Pan Malayan Postal Union.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Postage stamps and postal history of Christmas Island」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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