Gaua Island on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
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.
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 Volcanic crater lake, 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).
''Agō''
an
in the ''Online Mwotlap dictionary''. Olrat language, Olrat and Lakon language, Lakon have ''Gaō'' and ''Lakon'' ; Mwerlap language, Mwerlap has ''Gō'' and ''Lakon'' . Some modern languages have generalised one of these two etyma to refer to the whole island. Thus it is called ''Gog'' in Nume language, Nume, ''Gō'' in Koro language (Vanuatu), Koro (both < *''ɣaua''), ''Lkon'' in Dorig language, Dorig (< *''laᵑgona'').
File:Mount Gharat and Lake Letas.jpg, Mount Gharat and Lake Letas
File:Siri Falls Gaua Vanuatu.jpg, Siri Waterfall
File:Mbaravit Beach.jpg, Baravit Beach (east coast)
File:Gaua People.jpg, Local people
File:Gaua.jpg, Gaua as seen from space
Our Forest our Future; Managing Biodiversity in the South Pacific, Gaua Island, Vanuatu, Rudolf Hahn, CTA FAO 2013, youtube video
{{Authority control Islands of Vanuatu Volcanoes of Vanuatu Calderas of Oceania Volcanic crater lakes Torba Province Stratovolcanoes Important Bird Areas of Vanuatu
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 Volcanic crater lake, 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 BirdLife International, because they support populations of Vanuatu megapodes, Vanuatu imperial pigeons, Tanna fruit doves, red-bellied fruit doves, palm lorikeets, cardinal myzomelas, fan-tailed gerygones, long-tailed trillers, streaked fantails, Melanesian flycatchers, southern shrikebills, Vanuatu white-eyes, and red-headed parrotfinches. Other animals found there include long-tailed fruit bats, Vanuatu flying foxes, and coconut crabs.Population and languages
In 2009, the island had a population of 2,491, and an annual growth rate of 2.0 percent. The inhabitants are scattered among various coastal villages on the western, southern and northeastern sides of the island. The eastern side has a few hamlets with an immigrant community, the members of which have come from the two smaller islands Merig and Merelava, that lie southeast of Gaua. The largest village in Gaia is ''Jolap'', on the west coast. In addition to Mwerlap (the language of the immigrant population), there are five languages traditionally spoken on Gaua: Lakon language, Lakon (also called Vuré), Olrat language, Olrat, Koro language (Vanuatu), Koro, Dorig language, Dorig, and Nume language, Nume.Economy
The livelihood of the people of Gaua is based on the agricultural economy that is traditional throughout of Melanesia: a combination of fishing and horticulture. Their principal exports are copra and Cocoa bean, cacao.Transportation
The island is served by Gaua Airport, which is located in the northeast corner of the island.Names
The modern name ''Gaua'' is pronounced in Bislama, the ''lingua franca'' of Vanuatu, and in French language, French or English language, English. In the local Torres–Banks languages, Banks languages, the island was traditionally known not by one name, but two. One name reconstructs in Proto-Torres–Banks language, Proto-Torres-Banks as a form *''ɣaua'' , the other one as *''laᵑgona''. These respectively referred to the northeast half of the island, and its southwestern half (where one finds ''Lakona Bay'', and also where the Lakon language is spoken). Thus the Mota language, which Melanesian Mission, missionaries used when naming most places in the Banks Islands, has the forms ''Gaua'' and ''Lakona'' ; Mwotlap language, Mwotlap has respectively ''Agō'' and ''Alkon'' ;See entrie''Agō''
an
in the ''Online Mwotlap dictionary''. Olrat language, Olrat and Lakon language, Lakon have ''Gaō'' and ''Lakon'' ; Mwerlap language, Mwerlap has ''Gō'' and ''Lakon'' . Some modern languages have generalised one of these two etyma to refer to the whole island. Thus it is called ''Gog'' in Nume language, Nume, ''Gō'' in Koro language (Vanuatu), Koro (both < *''ɣaua''), ''Lkon'' in Dorig language, Dorig (< *''laᵑgona'').
Gallery
References
External links
*Our Forest our Future; Managing Biodiversity in the South Pacific, Gaua Island, Vanuatu, Rudolf Hahn, CTA FAO 2013, youtube video
{{Authority control Islands of Vanuatu Volcanoes of Vanuatu Calderas of Oceania Volcanic crater lakes Torba Province Stratovolcanoes Important Bird Areas of Vanuatu