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Given the recent tussle over the South China Sea, I have done some research on Christmas Island into sources such as NLB and Wiki to find out more about our own territorial history. Based on what I read, I noted that the transfer of Christmas Island was initiated by the Australian government to the United Kingdom in 1954, and the handover was completed in 1958 between the UK and Australian governments at a sum of £2.33 million (M$20 million). As Singapore only gained independence in 1965, we were never part of the negotiation. Said island has a population of 2,072. They consist of 65% Chinese, 20% Malays, 10% Europeans and 5% Indians and Eurasians. Their mother languages are Chinese, Malay and English. Size of island is 135 km2 and below is the map: Weather: Here is my point - Was the handover in 1957 legitimate? Other than the obvious similarities in population mix, language and weather, this transfer was enacted by 2 countries that have nothing to do with Singapore now. Should we challenge the claims to Christmas Island?