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Gaua
Gaua (formerly known as ''Santa Maria Island'') is the largest and second most populous of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in northern Vanuatu. It covers 342 km². History Gaua was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós, from 25 to 29 April 1606. The island’s name was then charted as ''Santa María''. Geography Gaua is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones. The climate is humid tropical; the average annual rainfall exceeds 3500 mm. It has rugged terrain, reaching up to Mount Gharat (797 m), the peak of the active stratovolcano which lies at the center of the island. Its most recent eruption was in 2013. The volcano has a 6 × 9 km caldera, within which lies a crater lake, known as Lake Letas, which is the largest lake in Vanuatu. To the east of the lake is Siri Waterfall (120 m drop). Natural history The upper slopes of the island have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Bir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banks Islands
The Banks Islands (in Bislama ''Bankis'') are a group of islands in northern Vanuatu. Together with the Torres Islands to their northwest, they make up the northernmost province of Torba. The island group lies about north of Maewo, and includes Gaua and Vanua Lava, two of the 13 largest islands in Vanuatu. In 2009, the islands had a population of 8,533. The island group's combined land area is 780 km2. Geography The largest island is Gaua (formerly called Santa Maria), which has a rugged terrain, rising to Mount Gharat, an active volcano at the centre of the island, at . Gaua's freshwater Lake Letas, in its volcanic crater, is the largest lake in Vanuatu. A slightly smaller island in the group, Vanua Lava, is higher, at ; it too has an active volcano: Mount Suretamate (also spelled Süretimiat or Sere'ama, ). To the east of Vanua Lava are two islets in the groupo, Ravenga and Kwakea (also spelled Qakea). Sola, the provincial capital, is on Vanua Lava. The third largest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Gharat
Mount Gharat or Mount Garet (797 m), a somma volcano, is the highest peak on the volcanic island of Gaua of the Banks Islands in northern Vanuatu. Geography The peak is located at the centre of the island, is volcanically active and is surrounded by Lake Letas on all sides except southwest. Name The volcano has slightly different names, depending on which of the local languages is being considered. It is known as ''Garet'' in Nume, ''Grāt'' in Dorig, ''Gerät'' in Koro, ''Gäräs'' in Lakon. The spelling ''Gharat'' found sometimes on maps is an attempt at transcribing Mota Mota, MOTA or variations thereof may refer to: Geography * Mota (island), Vanuatu * Mota, Ethiopia, a town * Mota, Gujarat, India, a town * Mota, Ljutomer, Slovenia, a village Music * ''M.O.T.A.'' (album), a 2005 album by Cultura Profética * "M ... ''Garat'' . All these names come from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *''ɣarati'', whose literal meaning is “itching, burning” ‒ perhaps in relat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siri Waterfall
Siri Waterfall, formerly called ''Santa Maria Waterfall'', is a waterfall located about 3 km inland from the eastern coast of the island of Gaua in northern Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no .... The supply of water to the waterfall is from Lake Letas. This lake is a large freshwater lake located in the crater at the centre of the volcanic island, about 600 meters above sea level. Water flows from the lake 3 km east to the top of Siri Waterfall. After the waterfall, the water flows as a large stream, called ''Mbe Solomul River'' (formerly ''Namang''), for another 3 km before it reaches the sea. The large stream is known as "Big Water". A rough estimate of the water flow rate (during the dry season month of August 2006) was approximately ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east of New Guinea, southeast of the Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji. Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. The first Europeans to visit the islands were a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Fernandes de Queirós, who arrived on the largest island, Espíritu Santo, in 1606. Queirós claimed the archipelago for Spain, as part of the colonial Spanish East Indies, and named it . In the 1880s, France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the archipelago, and in 1906, they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through an Anglo-French condominium. An independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merelava
Merelava (or ''Mere Lava'') is an island in the Banks Islands of the Torba Province of northern Vanuatu. Names The inhabitants of Merelava call their own island ''Mwerlap'', more accurately ''N̄wërlap'' . The name ''Merelava'' or ''M̄ere Lava'' reflects the way it is called in the neighbouring Mota language ‒ phonetically . According to Codrington, the etymology of this name (in Proto-Torres-Banks) is likely to be *''mʷera lava'', literally “the big boy”; it contrasts with the neighbouring island M̄erig , from *''mʷera riɣi'' “the small boy”. These words refer metaphorically to the islands themselves. Geography Merelava is situated in the southeastern part of the archipelago near Mota and Merig. Merelava has also been known as ''Star Island''. It is located about east of Gaua. Merelava is a nearly round volcanic island with a diameter of almost 4.5 km and an area of 18 km2. It is formed by a basaltic stratovolcano, which reaches in Mount Teu, also c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volcanic Crater Lake
A volcanic crater lake is a lake in a crater that was formed by explosive activity or a collapse during a volcanic eruption. Formation Lakes in calderas fill large craters formed by the collapse of a volcano during an eruption. Lakes in maars fill medium-sized craters where an eruption deposited debris around a vent. Crater lakes form as the created depression, within the crater rim, is filled by water. The water may come from precipitation, groundwater circulation (often hydrothermal fluids in the case of volcanic craters) or melted ice. Its level rises until an equilibrium is reached between the rates of incoming and outgoing water. Sources of water loss singly or together may include evaporation, subsurface seepage, and, in places, surface leakage or overflow when the lake level reaches the lowest point on its rim. At such a saddle location, the upper portion of the lake is contained only by its adjacent natural volcanic dam; continued leakage through or surface outflow ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torba Province
Torba (or ''TorBa'') is the northernmost and least populous province of Vanuatu. It consists of the Banks Islands and the Torres Islands. The province's name is derived from the initial letters of "''TORres''" and "''BAnks''". Population The province has a population of 9,359 and an area of . Its capital is Sola on Vanua Lava. Islands These are the main islands of Torba Province, excluding smaller and uninhabited islets. ;Banks Islands ;Torres Islands Languages The Torba province has seventeen languages, all Oceanic — from north to south: Hiw, Lo-Toga, Lehali, Löyöp, Volow, Mwotlap, Lemerig, Vera'a, Vurës, Mwesen, Mota, Nume, Dorig, Koro Koro may refer to: Geography *Koro Island, a Fijian island * Koro Sea, in the Pacific Ocean * Koro, Ivory Coast *Koro, Mali * Koro, Wisconsin, United States, an unincorporated community Languages *Koro language (India), an endangered language spo ..., Olrat, Lakon, Mwerlap. François ''et al.'' (2015). With 550 spea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merig
Merig is a small island located east of Gaua, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu. The island is about wide, and has a circumference of . Name The name ''Merig'' comes from the Mota language. It comes from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *''mʷera riɣi'' "the small boy" via haplology to ''*mʷeriɣi''. It contrasts with Merelava, from *''mʷera lava'' "the big boy". The native term in Mwerlap is ''N̄wërig'' , from the same etymon. History The first recorded sighting of Merig Island by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 25 April 1606. It was then named ''Île Sainte Claire''. Population Merig is only inhabited by one household, consisting of 12 individuals. They speak Mwerlap,. the language of the neighbouring island Merelava Merelava (or ''Mere Lava'') is an island in the Banks Islands of the Torba Province of northern Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coconut Crab
The coconut crab (''Birgus latro'') is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world, with a weight of up to . It can grow to up to in width from the tip of one leg to the tip of another. It is found on islands across the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Pacific Ocean as far east as the Gambier Islands, Pitcairn Islands and Caroline Island, similar to the distribution of the coconut palm; it has been extirpated from most areas with a significant human population, including mainland Australia and Madagascar. Coconut crabs also live off the coast of Africa near Zanzibar. The coconut crab is the only species of the genus ''Birgus'', and is related to the other terrestrial hermit crabs of the genus ''Coenobita''. It shows a number of adaptations to life on land. Juvenile coconut crabs use empty gastropod shells for protection like other hermit crabs, but the adults develop a tough exoskeleton on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanuatu Flying Fox
The Vanuatu flying fox or white flying fox (''Pteropus anetianus'') is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu. It is most closely related to the Samoa flying fox. References Pteropus Bats of Oceania Endemic fauna of Vanuatu Mammals of Vanuatu Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Mammals described in 1870 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{fruit-bat-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long-tailed Fruit Bat
The long-tailed fruit bat, long-tailed blossom bat, or Fijian blossom bat (''Notopteris macdonaldi'') is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Fiji and Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no .... They roost as large colonies in caves and forage in a range of lowland and montane habitats. They are threatened by exploitation and disturbance of roosting caves, hunting, and tourism. References Notopteris Bats of Oceania Mammals of Fiji Mammals of Vanuatu Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Mammals described in 1859 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{fruit-bat-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fan-tailed Gerygone
The fan-tailed gerygone (''Gerygone flavolateralis'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is found in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The Rennell gerygone (''G. citrina'') of the Solomon Islands was formerly considered conspecific, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021. References fan-tailed gerygone Birds of New Caledonia Birds of Vanuatu fan-tailed gerygone fan-tailed gerygone The fan-tailed gerygone (''Gerygone flavolateralis'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is found in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The Rennell gerygone (''G. citrina'') of the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island ... Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Acanthizidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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