Ugi Island, also Uki Island (or Uki Ni Masi), is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

; it is located in

Makira-Ulawa Province Makira-Ulawa Province is one of the nine provinces of Solomon Islands. Geography The main part of the province is Makira Island. It has a population of 40,419 (2009). The capital is Kirakira. Makira-Ulawa Province includes Makira (San Cristo ...

and lies 11 km north of

Makira Island The island of Makira (also known as San Cristobal and San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Islands. It is third most populous island after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020. ...

Geography

Ugi Island is a raised

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

about 10.5 km long and 6.5 km wide. The island has an area of 43.98 km². The summit elevation is 160 m. The highest hills are up to high. The island has a pleasant climate and good beaches.

Fauna

The only mammals that live there were introduced by humans like the

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, a ...

(''Rattus exulans'') and bats ''

Dobsonia inermis ''Dobsonia'' is a genus of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It contains the following 13 species:Nowak, Ronald M. Walker's Bats of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP. 1991. Genus ''Dobsonia'' * Andersen's naked-backed fruit bat, ''Dobson ...

'', ''

Pteropus cognatus The Makira flying fox (''Pteropus cognatus'') is a species of megabat in the genus ''Pteropus'', found in the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, t ...

'', ''

Emballonura nigrescens ''Emballonura'' (meaning: Erect tail) is a genus of sac-winged bats in the family Emballonuridae. It contains these species: * Small Asian sheath-tailed bat (''E. alecto'') * Beccari's sheath-tailed bat (''E. beccarii'') * Large-eared sheath- ...

'' and ''

Aselliscus tricuspidatus ''Aselliscus'' is a genus of bat in the family Hipposideridae. , it contains the following species: * Stoliczka's trident bat Stoliczka's trident bat (''Aselliscus stoliczkanus'') is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is found ...

''.

Village

At the census of population on November 23, 2009, the island had a population of 1,212. Most people live next to Selwyn Bay on the western side of the island. The principal village is Pawa, located at Selwyn Bay on the west coast. Archaeological evidence has demonstrated continuous occupation of the island since 1470 AD. The All Hallows' (senior primary) boys' boarding school was established at Ugi Island on 9 June 1922 by the

Diocese of Melanesia In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

as a replacement for St. Barnabas' School on

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

. What was left of the school was operated as a Diocese of Melanesia primary school until it was handed over to the Solomon government in 1975 to become a provincial secondary school.

References

Islands of the Solomon Islands {{SolomonIslands-geo-stub