Vavaʻu
 Map of Vavaʻu. | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 18°39′05″S173°59′01″W/ 18.65139°S 173.98361°W |
| Archipelago | Tonga Islands |
| Total islands | 55 |
| Major islands | 1 |
| Area | 138 km2(53 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 131 m (430 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Talau |
| Administration | |
Tonga | |
| Largest settlement | Neiafu(pop. 3,731) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 14,283[1](2021) |
| Pop. density | 108.1/km2(280/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Tongan (majority), European, Chinese, Pacific Islanders. |
Vavaʻuis an island group, consisting of one large island (ʻUtu Vavaʻu) and 40 smaller ones, inTonga.It is part ofVavaʻu District,which includes several other individual islands. According to tradition, theMauigod created bothTongatapuand Vavaʻu, but put a little more effort into the former. Vavaʻu rises 204 m (669 ft) above sea level atMount Talau.ThecapitalisNeiafu,situated at thePort of Refuge(Puatalefusi or Lolo-ʻa-Halaevalu).
History
[edit]Myths and legends
[edit]InPolynesia,it is said that the islands were created by thegodMaui,who reached into the bottom of the sea with his magic hook, caught something on it, and pulled it up to the sea surface, and it became the islands of Vavaʻu.
Recorded history
[edit]DonFrancisco Mourelle de la Rúa,commanding theSpanishfrigatePrincesa,was the firstEuropeanto come to Vavaʻu, which he did on 4 March 1781. He charted Vavaʻu asMartín de Mayorga,naming it after the incumbentViceroyofNew Spain.[2]CaptainJames Cookhad known about the islands a decade earlier, but the people inHaʻapaihad told him it would be no good for him to go there; they told him there was noharbour.They may have told him this to dissuade him from going there; but Cook heeded their advice.
As it turned out, Mourelle found excellentanchoring,in Vavaʻu, which he desperately needed, because he had failed to find a harbour at the last two places he had tried to land,Fonualei(Bitterness island) andLate.He gave the harbour at Vavaʻu the namePort of Refuge,although his original port of refuge had been the bay on the west coast of the main island, nearLongomapu.
Twelve years later, in 1793, theMalaspina Expeditionvisited the area for a month, following up on Mourelle's investigations, and formally claiming the islands forSpain.
Whalingvessels were among the first regular Western visitors to the islands. The first on record was theFanny,on 17 June 1823, and the last was theRobert Morrison,from July through September, 1883.[3]These vessels came for water, food, and wood - and sometimes they recruited islanders to serve as crewmen on their ships. They stimulated commerce and were significant agents for change on the islands.
In 1839, theTuʻi Tonga(chief),George Tupou I,instituted theVavaʻu Codein Vavaʻu.
Geography
[edit]
The Vavaʻu island group is spread out across an area that measures about 21 km from east to west and 25 km from north to south. Vavaʻu had 13,738 inhabitants at the 2016 census, 5,251 of whom lived in the capital, Neiafu.[4]The islands inVavaʻu District,outside of theVavaʻu Group,are uninhabited. The main island of’Utu Vava’u,at 97 km2(37 sq mi), is the second largest island in Tonga.
Vavaʻu is acoral reefwith cliffs in the north rising to 200 m (660 ft) above sea level. On the south side, the island group is dispersed into many small, scattered islands and waterways. The largest of the waterways, thefjord-likeAva Pulepulekai channel,extends 11 km (6.8 mi) inland from the harbor of Neiafu (the capital).
The north coast of ’Utu Vava’u island is a raised platform of coral cliffs. The southern coastline is low and irregular, and opens out into a network of channels, bays, and islets, forming one of the best-protected natural harbors in the Pacific.
’Utu Vava’u is also home to theʻEneʻio Botanical Garden,which is Tonga's only botanical garden.
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Neiafu church -
Vaipūua bridge -
Climate
[edit]Vavaʻu's climate is by far the warmest in Tonga (apart from theNiuas,which are the northernmost islands in the kingdom). Its warm climate and fertilesoilmakes it a haven for growers ofvanilla,pineapple,and othertropical fruits.
Governors
[edit]- Lord Fakatulolowas appointed Governor of Vavaʻu in 2018.
- David Fulivaiwas appointed governor of Vavaʻu in July 2011.[5]
- Sione Laumanuʻuli Luaniwas governor until he died suddenly on 12 May 2010.[6]
- Samisoni Fonomanu Tu'i'afituwas appointed acting governor of Vavaʻu in 1988, and then governor in 1991. He died on 4 October 2005.
- Fatafehi Tuʻipelehakewas governor from 1952 until 1965.
- ʻAkauʻola Siosateki Tonga Veikune Faletauwas governor from 1936 to 1939, before becoming the minister of police, a post he held from 1939 until 1952.[7]
- Viliami Tungī Mailefihiwas governor from 1912 to 1918.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 15,068 | — |
| 1986 | 15,175 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 15,715 | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 15,505 | −1.3% |
| 2011 | 14,922 | −3.8% |
| 2016 | 13,738 | −7.9% |
| 2021 | 14,283 | +4.0% |
| Sources:[8] [9][1] | ||
Economy
[edit]
Vavaʻu is popular with sailors and other tourists, because of its scenic beauty. It is one of the most prominenttourismsites in Tonga. From May to October, the Port of’Utu Vava’uwelcomes sailing boats from all over the world and arranges for tourists to dive withhumpback whalesand explore underwatercaves.The island is served byVavaʻu International Airport.
Tourism,agriculture,and fishing are the main sources of income for the inhabitants. The vanilla beans grown here are considered among the best in the world.Giant clamsare farmed, andpearlsare cultured.
Vavaʻu is considered one of the best places in the world to catchsailfish.[10]
Ecology
[edit]Vavaʻu is home to 262 species of plants, 11 species of lizard, 38 species of bird, and 41 species of terrestrial snail.[11]
Notable people
[edit]- Lisiate ʻAkolo,former finance minister
- Jabez Bryce,first Pacific Islander Anglican bishop
- ʻAna Kata Nau,first Tongan woman attorney
- Viliami Latu,trade minister
- Meleane Pau'uvale,Tongan culture and language activist in New Zealand
- Saia Piukala,minister of health
- Viliami Tangi,former deputy prime minister
- Tonga Tuʻiʻafitu,lands minister
- George Tupou II,former king of Tonga
- Samiu Vaipulu,trade minister
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"Tonga's population drops to 100,209".Matangi Tonga. 24 December 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 24 December 2021.Retrieved24 December2021.
- ^Landin Carrasco, AmancioMourelle de la Rúa, explorador del PacíficoMadrid, 1971, p.79.
- ^Robert Langdon (ed.) (1984),Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific Ports and islands visited by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century,Canberra, Pacific Manuscripts Bureau, pp.239–40.ISBN086784471X
- ^"Census 2016".Tonga Department of Statistics.Retrieved11 June2021.
- ^"TONGA KING ANOINTS ROYAL RELATIVE AS GOVERNOR".Pacific Islands Report. 7 July 2011.Retrieved17 December2021.
- ^Noble Luani dies suddenly in Vava'u
- ^'Akau'ola Siosateki Tonga Veikune Faletau
- ^"1996 Tonga Census Administrative Report".Tonga Department of Statistics. p. xii.Retrieved30 December2021.
- ^"Census".Tonga Statistics Department.Retrieved30 December2021.
- ^Olander, Doug (7 June 2019)."The World's Best Sailfish Spots".sportfishingmag.com.Sport Fishing Magazine.Retrieved21 June2019.
- ^"Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of the Vava'u Archipelago, Kingdom of Tonga"(PDF).SPREP. 2014. pp. vii–ix.Retrieved6 January2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Gerstle, Donna (1973).Gentle People: Into the Heart of Vavaʻu, Kingdom of Tonga: 1781–1973.San Diego: Tofua Press.OCLC800856.
External links
[edit]
| Authority control databases:Geographic |
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