Nanumanga or Nanumaga is a
reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...
island and a district of the Oceanian island nation of
Tuvalu
Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-nor ...
.
It has a surface area of about 3 km² with a population of 491 (2017 Census).
History
On 9 May 1824 a French government expedition under Captain
Louis Isidore Duperrey
Louis-Isidore Duperrey (21 October 1786 – 25 August 1865) was a French naval officer and explorer.
Biography
Early life
Louis-Isidore Duperrey was born in 1786.
Career
He joined the navy in 1802, and served as marine hydrologist to Louis Cl ...
of the ship
''La Coquille'' sighted Nanumaga.
The
US Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
visited in 1841.
Louis Becke
George Lewis Becke (or Louis Becke; 18 June 1855 – 18 February 1913) was an Australian Pacific trader, short story writer and novelist.
Early life
Becke was born at Port Macquarie, New South Wales, son of Frederick Becke, Clerk of Petty Ses ...
, who later became a writer, became the resident trader for the
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
firm of John S. de Wolf and Co. on Nanumaga from about April 1880 until the trading-station was destroyed later that year in a
cyclone.
Becke later wrote ''The Rangers of the Tia Kau''
that describes a
shark attack
A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year, around 80 unprovoked attacks are reported worldwide. Despite their rarity, many people fear shark attacks after occasional serial attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1 ...
at the Tia Kau reef between
Nanumea
Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is with a pop ...
and Nanumaga.
The population of Nanumaga from 1860–1900 is estimated to be between 300 to 335 people.
Nanumaga Post Office opened around 1925.
In 1986 it became a centre of debate when Pacific
archaeologists
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
discovered the submerged
Caves of Nanumanga
Caves of Nanumanga is an underwater cave off the northern shore of Nanumanga, Tuvalu in western Polynesia. It was discovered by two scuba divers in 1986.''The Age'' (Melbourne, Australia), Monday 13 April 1987
Legend
The discovery of the Caves o ...
, and found what they argued was the remains of fire created by
pre-historic inhabitants.
Geography
The Nanumaga landscape consists of the main village settlements of Tonga and Tokelau, the two main pits for swamp taro (''
Cyrtosperma merkusii
''Cyrtosperma merkusii'' or giant swamp taro, is a crop grown throughout Oceania and into South and Southeast Asia. It is a riverine and "swamp crop" similar to taro, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots." There are no demonstrably ...
''), (known in
Tuvalu
Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-nor ...
as ''
Pulaka
Pulaka, ''Cyrtosperma merkusii'', or swamp taro, is a crop grown mainly in Tuvalu and an important source of carbohydrates for the area's inhabitants. It is a " swamp crop" similar to taro, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots."
The s ...
''), the mangrove forest surrounding the internal lagoons and the areas of general vegetation which includes coconuts, pandanus trees and other vegetation types.
The island has an
oval
An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one ...
outline, with the longer axis oriented north-south. A
fringing reef
A fringing reef is one of the three main types of coral reef. It is distinguished from the other main types, barrier reefs and atolls, in that it has either an entirely shallow backreef zone (lagoon) or none at all. If a fringing reef grows direc ...
surrounds the whole island, which makes local fishing and transport into and out of the island difficult.
There are two brackish-water lagoons, the largest, Vaiatoa, having four islands. Vaiatoa Lagoon is located in the north of the island while the smaller Ha’apai Lagoon is in the south. A causeway has been construct to the south of Vaiatoa Lagoon linking the village areas of Tonga and Matematefaga.
There are
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
trees, native broadleaf forest and
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
palms. The two recorded mangrove species in Tuvalu are the common Togo (''
Rhizophora stylosa
''Rhizophora stylosa'', the spotted mangrove, red mangrove, small stilted mangrove or stilt-root mangrove, is a tree in the family Rhizophoraceae. The specific epithet ' is from the Latin meaning "stylus form", referring to the flower.
Descript ...
'') and the red-flowered mangrove Sagale (''
Lumnitzera littorea''). The mangrove forest of the northern Vaiatoa lagoon covers an area approximately 20 hectares.
Nanumaga has a Locally Managed Marine Area, which encompasses the entire island. No fishing is allowed on the reef on the western side of the island, except handlining. Spear fishing is also totally banned on the island.
A sea mount located just off the northern tip of the island is an important key fishing ground, which has been declared a ‘no anchor zone’.
In March 2015 Nanumaga suffered damage to houses, crops and infrastructure as the result of storm surges caused by
Cyclone Pam
Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam was the second most intense tropical cyclone of the South Pacific Ocean in terms of sustained winds and is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Vanuatu. A total of 15–16 people lost ...
; 60-100 houses were flooded and the health facility suffered damage.
Capes
* Cape on the north: Te Kaupapa
* Cape on the south: Te Papa
Villages
At the 2012 census the population of the villages was:
*
Tokelau
Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...
with 245 people;
*
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
, also spelled ''Toga'' with 236 people.
The junior school is Lotohoni Primary School.
Transportation
There are a few paths and unpaved roads. There are no airports, so everything goes in and out by boat. There is an unprotected 10m wide boat channel that cuts into the fringing reef. The boat landing is where passengers and cargo is landed from the inter-island ferry workboats.
Politics
Nanumanga is one of the eight constituencies in Tuvalu, and elects two Members of
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
. Following the
2019 general election,
Monise Lafai
Monise Laafai is a Tuvaluan politician and businessman.
He stood for Parliament for the first time at the 2010 general election, and was elected MP for the constituency of Nanumaga. He supported Maatia Toafa's successful bid for the premiersh ...
was returned to parliament and Minute Alapati Taupo was elected to parliament.
Climate Crisis
In 2016 the
Tuvalu National Council for Women
Tuvalu National Council for Women (TNCW) is a Tuvaluan national council, which is the umbrella organisation for non-governmental women's rights groups in the country. The TNCW aims to enable gender equity in Tuvalu, through educational campaigns ...
worked with the
Green Climate Fund
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in Adaptation to global warming, adaptation and Climate change mitigation, miti ...
to enable women from the islands of
Nanumea
Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is with a pop ...
and Nanumaga to be part of talks about
climate crisis
''Climate crisis'' is a term describing global warming and climate change, and their impacts. The term and the alternative term ''climate emergency'' have been used to describe the threat of global warming to humanity (and their planet), and to u ...
. One of their key issues was the additional burden of social care that women take on in the aftermath of natural disasters.
Notable local people
Otinielu Tausi
Otinielu Tauteleimalae Tausi is a politician from Tuvalu for the constituency of Nanumanga. He served as the speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu from 2003 until 2006, then again from March 2014 onward, and has also been the deputy prime minister ...
was the deputy prime minister in the government of
Kamuta Latasi
Sir Kamuta Latasi (born September 4, 1936) is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu from Funafuti atoll. He was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu in 1992. Latasi served as the 4th Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 1993 until 1996. ...
(December 1993 to December 1996); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Natural Resources and also the Home Affairs and Rural Development in the 2nd government of
Bikenibeu Paeniu
Bikenibeu Paeniu, PC (born 10 May 1956) is a politician from Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Nukulaelae in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He has served twice as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, and now serving as Tuvalu ambassador to Taiwan s ...
(1996 to 1998). He served as the
speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
of the
Parliament of Tuvalu
The Parliament of Tuvalu (called ''Fale i Fono'' in Tuvaluan, or ''Palamene o Tuvalu'') is the unicameral national legislature of Tuvalu. The place at which the parliament sits is called the ''Vaiaku maneapa''. The ''maneapa'' on each island is ...
from 2003 until 2006, then again from March 2014 until he was not re-elected to parliament in the general election held on 9 September 2019.
Tuau Lapua Lapua
Tuau Lapua Lapua (born 15 April 1991 in Nanumaga) is a Tuvalu
Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situa ...
is a Tuvaluan Olympic
weightlifter
Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lif ...
. At the
2013 Pacific Mini Games, Tuau Lapua Lapua won Tuvalu's first ever gold medal in major sporting competition in the men's 62 kilogram
snatch. (He also won bronze in the
clean and jerk, and obtained the silver medal overall for the combined event.)
References
{{authority control
Atolls of Tuvalu