Nukapu is one of the islands of the nation of
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 capit ...
. It is in the
Reef Islands
The Reef Islands are a loose collection of 16 islands in the northwestern part of the Solomon Islands province of Temotu. These islands have historically also been known by the names of Swallow Islands and Matema Islands.
Geography
The islan ...
group in
Temotu Province
Temotu (or Te Motu, literally "the island" in Polynesian) is the easternmost province of Solomon Islands. The province was formerly known as Santa Cruz Islands Province. It consists, essentially, of two chains of islands which run parallel to ...
; the easternmost province of the Solomons. The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is 15 metres.
The island contains a memorial to
Bishop John Patteson who was murdered on Nukapu in 1871.
Population
As of 2009, the local population was 100 people. The language spoken on Nukapu is
Pileni
300px, Map of the Reef Islands
Pileni is a culturally important island in the Reef Islands
The Reef Islands are a loose collection of 16 islands in the northwestern part of the Solomon Islands province of Temotu. These islands have histori ...
, a member of the
Polynesian language family. Pileni is also spoken on the islands of
Pileni
300px, Map of the Reef Islands
Pileni is a culturally important island in the Reef Islands
The Reef Islands are a loose collection of 16 islands in the northwestern part of the Solomon Islands province of Temotu. These islands have histori ...
,
Nupani,
Nifiloli Nifiloli is an island in the Reef Islands (Latitude: 10° 10' 60 S, Longitude: 166° 13' 60 E), in the Solomon Islands province of Temotu Province, Temotu. The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is 19 metres. Despite its location in Melane ...
,
Aua and
Matema Island Matema Island or Matema is of one of the Reef Islands, of the independent nation of the Solomon Islands; it is located in Temotu Province.
The language spoken on Matema Island is Pileni, which is a member of the Polynesian language family. Pileni ...
of the
Reef Islands
The Reef Islands are a loose collection of 16 islands in the northwestern part of the Solomon Islands province of Temotu. These islands have historically also been known by the names of Swallow Islands and Matema Islands.
Geography
The islan ...
, as well as in the
Taumako
Taumako is the largest of the Duff Islands, in the Solomon Islands. This island has steep sides and rises to a height of above sea level. It is composed of basaltic lavas and pyroclastics like the other islands in the Duffs.
The inhabitants of t ...
Islands (also known as the
Duff Islands
The Duff Islands are a small island group lying to the northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands in the Solomon Islands province of Temotu. They are also sometimes known as the Wilson Islands.
Location and geography
The islands are located at 9°5 ...
), some 200 miles to the east. Speakers are thought to be descendants of people from
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-northea ...
.
See also
*
Nukapu Expedition
The Nukapu expedition was a British punitive expedition from October 1871 until February 1872, in response to the murder of missionary John Coleridge Patteson by natives of Nukapu, one of the easternmost islands of the Solomon Islands in the S ...
References
External links
Nukapu on the Solomon Islands
Islands of the Solomon Islands
Polynesian outliers
{{Solomons-geo-stub