Vanua Lava is the second largest of the
Banks Islands in
Torba Province,
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 ...
, after slightly larger
Gaua.
It is located about 120 km north-northeast of
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census.
Geography
The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...
and north of
Gaua.
Name
The name ''Vanua Lava'' 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 ...
, which was used as the primary language of the
Melanesian Mission. Locally, the island is called ''Vōnōlav'' / in
Vurës and
Mwesen, ''Vunulava'' in
Vera'a, and ''Vunulāv'' in
Lemerig
Lemerig is an Oceanic language spoken on Vanua Lava, in Vanuatu.
Lemerig is no longer actively spoken. The 2 remaining speakers live on the northern coast of the island. The language has receded in favour of its neighbours Mwotlap and Vera' ...
. In the immigrant language
Mwotlap, it is referred to as ''Apnōlap'' (with the locative prefix ''a-''). All of these terms come from a
Proto-Torres-Banks form *''
βanua laβa'' "Large Land".
History
Vanua Lava 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 ''Portal de Belén'' (“Nativity scene” in
Spanish).
Vanua Lava was first explored by a New Zealand bishop,
George Augustus Selwyn
George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was Metropolitan (later ...
, in 1859. The sulfur deposits of Mt. Suretamate were at one time worked by a French company.
Copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...
is the chief export.
Geography
![Nh-map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Nh-map.png)
The island measures about 25 km north-to-south and 20 km east-to-west. It has a land area of 314 km². The capital of Torba province,
Sola
Sola is a municipality and a Seaside resort in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Solakrossen. Other villages include Tananger, Hålandsm ...
, is located on the east side of the island, on Port Patteson.
The highest altitude on the island is .
Mount Suretamate (from
Mota), also known as Suretimiat or Seretimiat (from
Vurës) and Sere'ama (from
Lemerig
Lemerig is an Oceanic language spoken on Vanua Lava, in Vanuatu.
Lemerig is no longer actively spoken. The 2 remaining speakers live on the northern coast of the island. The language has receded in favour of its neighbours Mwotlap and Vera' ...
and
Vera'a), which stands ) high, is an active volcano: Its last major eruption was in 1965. The island has two natural harbors,
Port Patteson
Port Patteson is a harbour and settlement on the island of Vanua Lava in Vanuatu. It was named after John Patteson, the first Bishop of Melanesia. in the east and
Vureas Bay (Vurës) in the southwest. To the east of the island are the islets of
Kwakea and
Ravenga.
Waterfall Bay lies on the west side of the island.
Natural history
A 14,850 ha tract, encompassing the upper slopes of Mount Suretamate and much of the northeastern coastline of the island, has been recognised as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
because it supports populations of
Vanuatu megapodes,
Vanuatu imperial pigeon
The Vanuatu imperial pigeon or Baker's imperial pigeon (''Ducula bakeri'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu and lives in forests. It is threatened by forest clearing, and the International Union for Conserva ...
s,
Tanna fruit dove
The Tanna fruit dove (''Ptilinopus tannensis'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Mon ...
s,
red-bellied fruit dove
The red-bellied fruit dove (''Ptilinopus greyi'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in lowland forest in New Caledonia, Santa Cruz Islands ( Solomons), and Vanuatu, and it is common in most of its range.
The red-bellied ...
s,
palm lorikeet
The palm lorikeet (''Vini palmarum'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane for ...
s,
cardinal myzomela
The cardinal myzomela (''Myzomela cardinalis'') is a species of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It is named for the scarlet color of the male. It is found in American Samoa, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, as well ...
s,
Vanuatu honeyeater
The white-bellied honeyeater (''Glycifohia notabilis''), also known as the New Hebrides honeyeater, is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to the Melanesian island nation of Vanuatu.
References
white-bellied honeyeat ...
s,
fan-tailed gerygones,
long-tailed trillers,
streaked fantails,
Melanesian flycatcher
The Melanesian flycatcher (''Myiagra caledonica'') is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family Monarchidae. The species is found on islands in Melanesia.
Taxonomy and systematics
It is closely related to the Vanikoro flycatcher. Alter ...
s,
buff-bellied monarch
The buff-bellied monarch (''Neolalage banksiana'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Neolalage''. It is endemic to Vanuatu, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest ...
s,
southern shrikebills,
Santo thicketbird
The Santo thicketbird (''Cincloramphus whitneyi'') is a bird species. It used to be placed in the "Old World warbler" family Sylviidae, but it does not seem to be a close relative of the typical warblers; it belongs in the grass warbler family, ...
s and
Vanuatu white-eye
The Vanuatu white-eye or yellow-fronted white-eye (''Zosterops flavifrons'') is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Zosterops'' in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Vanuatu, where it is one of the most common birds. ...
s. It is also home to
seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
breeding colonies of
collared
Collar may refer to:
Human neckwear
*Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations
*Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck
...
and
white-necked petrel
The white-necked petrel (''Pterodroma cervicalis''), also known as the white-naped petrel, is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae. During the non-breeding season it occurs throughout a large part of the Pacific, but it is only known ...
s. Other animals found on the island include
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 ...
s and
Banks flying foxes.
Population and languages
The population of Vanua Lava was 2,623 in the 2009 census.
Vanua Lava is home to four indigenous languages:
Vurës, with about 2000 speakers;
Vera'a, with 500; and two dying languages,
Mwesen, with 10 speakers, and
Lemerig
Lemerig is an Oceanic language spoken on Vanua Lava, in Vanuatu.
Lemerig is no longer actively spoken. The 2 remaining speakers live on the northern coast of the island. The language has receded in favour of its neighbours Mwotlap and Vera' ...
, with only 2 living speakers. Other languages on the island, spoken by migrant communities, include
Mwotlap (on the northeastern coast) and
Mota (in the east). The language most commonly spoken in
Sola
Sola is a municipality and a Seaside resort in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Solakrossen. Other villages include Tananger, Hålandsm ...
, the administrative capital, where people from different language backgrounds meet, is
Bislama
Bislama (; ; also known by its earlier French name, ) is an English-based creole language and one of the official languages of Vanuatu. It is the first language of many of the "Urban ni-Vanuatu" (citizens who live in Port Vila and Luganville) ...
.
Vanua Lava evidently used to harbour more languages in the past, several of which have disappeared since the mid 19th century.
[ François (2012):89-90).]
Transportation
There is an
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
on the island (
IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...
code ''SLH''), to which
Air Vanuatu
Air Vanuatu is an airline with its head office in the Air Vanuatu House, Port Vila, Vanuatu. It is Vanuatu's national flag carrier, operating to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and points in the South Pacific. Its main base is Bauerfield I ...
flies three times a week. There is a single road on the island, but few vehicles.
References
*
References
External links
*
Tourist page, including map
{{Authority control
Islands of Vanuatu
Volcanoes of Vanuatu
Torba Province
Important Bird Areas of Vanuatu
Seabird colonies