Merig is a small island located east of

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 expeditio ...

, in the

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 include ...

of 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 island is about wide, and has a circumference of .

Name

The name ''Merig'' comes from the

Mota language Mota is an Oceanic language spoken by about 750 people on Mota island, in the Banks Islands of Vanuatu. The language (named after the island) is one of the most conservative Torres–Banks languages, and the only one to keep its inherited five-v ...

. It comes from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *''mʷera riɣi'' "the small boy" via haplology to ''*mʷeriɣi''. It contrasts with

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; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an isla ...

, 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 Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...

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

References

External links

* Islands of Vanuatu Volcanoes of Vanuatu Torba Province Pleistocene stratovolcanoes {{Vanuatu-geo-stub