{"history":[],"article":{"id":"94c8923d-5051-456e-a6c2-76516b834f7c","title":"Gaua","slug":"gaua","content":":::summary\n**Name:** Gaua \n**Local Name:** Santa Maria \n**Image Name:** Map-Gaua-Vanuatu.png \n**Image Caption:** Map of Gaua \n**Map Image:** Womtelo Map-Banks-Vanuatu 1000.png \n**Location:** [Pacific Ocean](https://bliptext.com/articles/pacific-ocean) \n**Coordinates:** 14.265°N, 167.52°W \n**Archipelago:** [Vanuatu](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu), [Banks Islands](https://bliptext.com/articles/banks-islands) \n**Area Km 2:** 330 \n**Highest Mount:** [Mount Gharat](https://bliptext.com/articles/mount-gharat) \n**Elevation M:** 767 \n**Country:** Vanuatu \n**Country Admin Divisions Title:** Province \n**Country Admin Divisions:** [Torba Province](https://bliptext.com/articles/torba-province) \n**Country Largest City:** Jolap \n**Population:** 2,491 \n**Population As Of:** 2009 \n**Density Km 2:** 7.5 \n:::\n\n# \n**Gaua** (formerly known as Santa Maria Island) is the largest and second most populous of the [Banks Islands](https://bliptext.com/articles/banks-islands) in [Torba Province](https://bliptext.com/articles/torba-province) in northern [Vanuatu](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu).\nIt covers.\n\n# Geography\nGaua is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones.\nThe climate is humid tropical; the average annual rainfall exceeds 3500 mm. It has rugged terrain, reaching up to [Mount Gharat](https://bliptext.com/articles/mount-gharat) (797 m), the peak of the active [stratovolcano](https://bliptext.com/articles/stratovolcano) which lies at the center of the island.\nIts most recent eruption was in 2013.\nThe volcano has a 6 × 9 km [caldera](https://bliptext.com/articles/caldera), within which lies a [crater lake](https://bliptext.com/articles/volcanic-crater-lake), known as [Lake Letas](https://bliptext.com/articles/lake-letas), which is the largest lake in Vanuatu.\nTo the east of the lake is [Siri Waterfall](https://bliptext.com/articles/siri-waterfall) (120 m drop).\n# [Location of the Torres and Banks Islands, in the north of Vanuatu. Gaua is the largest island, in the south of that area. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Torba///in///Vanuatu.svg]\n\n# Natural History\n\n## Geology\nGaua's geology is fairly typical of an immature [volcanic island arc](https://bliptext.com/articles/volcanic-arc).\nThe oldest part of the island is the southwestern corner, which consists largely of primitive [basalts](https://bliptext.com/articles/basalt) and [ankaramites](https://bliptext.com/articles/ankaramite).\nMost of the island is covered by the Santa Maria Pyroclastic Series, a [mafic](https://bliptext.com/articles/mafic) [ignimbrite](https://bliptext.com/articles/ignimbrite) unit that was produced by the eruption that formed the caldera.\nGaua is rare in hosting a mafic ignimbrite, as most [similarly explosive](https://bliptext.com/articles/explosive-eruption) [eruptions](https://bliptext.com/articles/volcanic-eruption) are more [silicic](https://bliptext.com/articles/silicic); other examples include [Masaya](https://bliptext.com/articles/masaya-volcano) in [Nicaragua](https://bliptext.com/articles/nicaragua), and on [Ambrym](https://bliptext.com/articles/ambrym), and [Tanna](https://bliptext.com/articles/tanna-island), also in Vanuatu.\nThe eruption of the SMPS was also associated with the activation of [ring faults](https://bliptext.com/articles/ring-fault), and the production of [parasitic volcanic cones](https://bliptext.com/articles/parasitic-cone) around the upper slopes of the volcano.\n\n## Wildlife\nThe upper slopes of the island have been recognised as an [Important Bird Area](https://bliptext.com/articles/important-bird-area) (IBA) by [BirdLife International](https://bliptext.com/articles/birdlife-international), because they support populations of [Vanuatu megapodes](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-megapode), [Vanuatu imperial pigeons](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-imperial-pigeon), [Tanna fruit doves](https://bliptext.com/articles/tanna-fruit-dove), [red-bellied fruit doves](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-bellied-fruit-dove), [palm lorikeets](https://bliptext.com/articles/palm-lorikeet), [cardinal myzomelas](https://bliptext.com/articles/cardinal-myzomela), [fan-tailed gerygones](https://bliptext.com/articles/fan-tailed-gerygone), [long-tailed trillers](https://bliptext.com/articles/long-tailed-triller), [streaked fantails](https://bliptext.com/articles/streaked-fantail), [Melanesian flycatchers](https://bliptext.com/articles/melanesian-flycatcher), [southern shrikebills](https://bliptext.com/articles/southern-shrikebill), [Vanuatu white-eyes](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-white-eye), and [red-headed parrotfinches](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-headed-parrotfinch).\nOther animals found there include [long-tailed fruit bats](https://bliptext.com/articles/long-tailed-fruit-bat), [Vanuatu flying foxes](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-flying-fox), and [coconut crabs](https://bliptext.com/articles/coconut-crab).\n\n# Population and languages\nIn 2009, the island had a population of 2,491, and an annual growth rate of 2.0 percent.\nThe inhabitants are scattered among various coastal villages on the western, southern and northeastern sides of the island.\nThe eastern side has a few hamlets with an immigrant community, the members of which have come from the two smaller islands [Merig](https://bliptext.com/articles/merig) and [Merelava](https://bliptext.com/articles/merelava), that lie southeast of Gaua.\nThe largest village on Gaua is Jolap, on the west coast.\nIn addition to [Mwerlap](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwerlap) (the language of the immigrant population), there are five languages traditionally spoken on Gaua: [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) (also called Vuré), [Olrat](https://bliptext.com/articles/olrat-language), [Koro](https://bliptext.com/articles/koro-language-vanuatu), [Dorig](https://bliptext.com/articles/dorig-language), and [Nume](https://bliptext.com/articles/nume-language).\n\n# Economy\nThe livelihood of the people of Gaua is based on the agricultural economy that is traditional throughout of [Melanesia](https://bliptext.com/articles/melanesia): a combination of fishing and horticulture.\nTheir principal exports are [copra](https://bliptext.com/articles/copra) and [cacao](https://bliptext.com/articles/cocoa-bean).\nThe island is served by [Gaua Airport](https://bliptext.com/articles/gaua-airport), which is located in the northeast corner of the island.\n\n# Names\nThe modern name Gaua is pronounced in [Bislama](https://bliptext.com/articles/bislama), the lingua franca of Vanuatu, and in [French](https://bliptext.com/articles/french-language) or [English](https://bliptext.com/articles/english-language).\nIn the local [Banks languages](https://bliptext.com/articles/torres-banks-languages), the island was traditionally known not by one name, but two.\nOne name reconstructs in [Proto-Torres–Banks](https://bliptext.com/articles/proto-torres-banks-language) as a form *ɣaua, the other one as *laᵑgona.\nThese respectively referred to the northeast half of the island, and its southwestern half (where one finds Lakona Bay, and also where the [Lakon language](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) is spoken).\nThus the [Mota language](https://bliptext.com/articles/mota-language), which [missionaries](https://bliptext.com/articles/melanesian-mission) used when naming most places in the [Banks Islands](https://bliptext.com/articles/banks-islands), has the forms Gaua and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language)a ; [Olrat](https://bliptext.com/articles/olrat-language) and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) have Gaō and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) ; and the immigrant language [Mwerlap](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwerlap-language) has Gō and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language).\nOther [Torres-Banks languages](https://bliptext.com/articles/torres-banks-languages) that have reflexes of the two etyma include [Mwotlap](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwotlap-language) Agō and Alkon ; and [Vurës](https://bliptext.com/articles/vur-s-language) Gō and Lokon.\nSome modern languages have generalized one of these two etyma to refer to the whole island.\nThus it is called Gog in [Nume](https://bliptext.com/articles/nume-language), Gō in [Koro](https://bliptext.com/articles/koro-language-vanuatu) (both < *ɣaua), and Lkon in [Dorig](https://bliptext.com/articles/dorig-language) (< *laᵑgona).\nOther [Torres-Banks languages](https://bliptext.com/articles/torres-banks-languages) that have only one reflex of the two etyma include [Hiw](https://bliptext.com/articles/hiw-language) and [Lo-Toga](https://bliptext.com/articles/lo-toga-language) Gawe (< *ɣaua), [Vera'a](https://bliptext.com/articles/vera-a-language) Lōkōno (< *laᵑgona) and [Mwesen](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwesen-language) Gō (< *ɣaua).\n\n# History\nGaua was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of [Pedro Fernández de Quirós](https://bliptext.com/articles/pedro-fern-ndez-de-quir-s), from 25 to 29 April 1606.\nThe island’s name was then charted as Santa María.\n\n# Gallery","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-26T07:23:03.651Z","updated_at":"2025-01-26T07:23:03.651Z","search_vector":"'gaua':1","search_content":" \n**Name:** Gaua \n**Local Name:** Santa Maria \n**Image Name:** Map-Gaua-Vanuatu.png \n**Image Caption:** Map of Gaua \n**Map Image:** Womtelo Map-Banks-Vanuatu 1000.png \n**Location:** [Pacific Ocean](https://bliptext.com/articles/pacific-ocean) \n**Coordinates:** 14.265°N, 167.52°W \n**Archipelago:** [Vanuatu](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu), [Banks Islands](https://bliptext.com/articles/banks-islands) \n**Area Km 2:** 330 \n**Highest Mount:** [Mount Gharat](https://bliptext.com/articles/mount-gharat) \n**Elevation M:** 767 \n**Country:** Vanuatu \n**Country Admin Divisions Title:** Province \n**Country Admin Divisions:** [Torba Province](https://bliptext.com/articles/torba-province) \n**Country Largest City:** Jolap \n**Population:** 2,491 \n**Population As Of:** 2009 \n**Density Km 2:** 7.5 \n \n\n# \n**Gaua** (formerly known as Santa Maria Island) is the largest and second most populous of the [Banks Islands](https://bliptext.com/articles/banks-islands) in [Torba Province](https://bliptext.com/articles/torba-province) in northern [Vanuatu](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu).\nIt covers.\n\n# Geography\nGaua is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones.\nThe climate is humid tropical; the average annual rainfall exceeds 3500 mm. It has rugged terrain, reaching up to [Mount Gharat](https://bliptext.com/articles/mount-gharat) (797 m), the peak of the active [stratovolcano](https://bliptext.com/articles/stratovolcano) which lies at the center of the island.\nIts most recent eruption was in 2013.\nThe volcano has a 6 × 9 km [caldera](https://bliptext.com/articles/caldera), within which lies a [crater lake](https://bliptext.com/articles/volcanic-crater-lake), known as [Lake Letas](https://bliptext.com/articles/lake-letas), which is the largest lake in Vanuatu.\nTo the east of the lake is [Siri Waterfall](https://bliptext.com/articles/siri-waterfall) (120 m drop).\n# [Location of the Torres and Banks Islands, in the north of Vanuatu. Gaua is the largest island, in the south of that area. | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Torba///in///Vanuatu.svg]\n\n# Natural History\n\n## Geology\nGaua's geology is fairly typical of an immature [volcanic island arc](https://bliptext.com/articles/volcanic-arc).\nThe oldest part of the island is the southwestern corner, which consists largely of primitive [basalts](https://bliptext.com/articles/basalt) and [ankaramites](https://bliptext.com/articles/ankaramite).\nMost of the island is covered by the Santa Maria Pyroclastic Series, a [mafic](https://bliptext.com/articles/mafic) [ignimbrite](https://bliptext.com/articles/ignimbrite) unit that was produced by the eruption that formed the caldera.\nGaua is rare in hosting a mafic ignimbrite, as most [similarly explosive](https://bliptext.com/articles/explosive-eruption) [eruptions](https://bliptext.com/articles/volcanic-eruption) are more [silicic](https://bliptext.com/articles/silicic); other examples include [Masaya](https://bliptext.com/articles/masaya-volcano) in [Nicaragua](https://bliptext.com/articles/nicaragua), and on [Ambrym](https://bliptext.com/articles/ambrym), and [Tanna](https://bliptext.com/articles/tanna-island), also in Vanuatu.\nThe eruption of the SMPS was also associated with the activation of [ring faults](https://bliptext.com/articles/ring-fault), and the production of [parasitic volcanic cones](https://bliptext.com/articles/parasitic-cone) around the upper slopes of the volcano.\n\n## Wildlife\nThe upper slopes of the island have been recognised as an [Important Bird Area](https://bliptext.com/articles/important-bird-area) (IBA) by [BirdLife International](https://bliptext.com/articles/birdlife-international), because they support populations of [Vanuatu megapodes](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-megapode), [Vanuatu imperial pigeons](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-imperial-pigeon), [Tanna fruit doves](https://bliptext.com/articles/tanna-fruit-dove), [red-bellied fruit doves](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-bellied-fruit-dove), [palm lorikeets](https://bliptext.com/articles/palm-lorikeet), [cardinal myzomelas](https://bliptext.com/articles/cardinal-myzomela), [fan-tailed gerygones](https://bliptext.com/articles/fan-tailed-gerygone), [long-tailed trillers](https://bliptext.com/articles/long-tailed-triller), [streaked fantails](https://bliptext.com/articles/streaked-fantail), [Melanesian flycatchers](https://bliptext.com/articles/melanesian-flycatcher), [southern shrikebills](https://bliptext.com/articles/southern-shrikebill), [Vanuatu white-eyes](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-white-eye), and [red-headed parrotfinches](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-headed-parrotfinch).\nOther animals found there include [long-tailed fruit bats](https://bliptext.com/articles/long-tailed-fruit-bat), [Vanuatu flying foxes](https://bliptext.com/articles/vanuatu-flying-fox), and [coconut crabs](https://bliptext.com/articles/coconut-crab).\n\n# Population and languages\nIn 2009, the island had a population of 2,491, and an annual growth rate of 2.0 percent.\nThe inhabitants are scattered among various coastal villages on the western, southern and northeastern sides of the island.\nThe eastern side has a few hamlets with an immigrant community, the members of which have come from the two smaller islands [Merig](https://bliptext.com/articles/merig) and [Merelava](https://bliptext.com/articles/merelava), that lie southeast of Gaua.\nThe largest village on Gaua is Jolap, on the west coast.\nIn addition to [Mwerlap](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwerlap) (the language of the immigrant population), there are five languages traditionally spoken on Gaua: [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) (also called Vuré), [Olrat](https://bliptext.com/articles/olrat-language), [Koro](https://bliptext.com/articles/koro-language-vanuatu), [Dorig](https://bliptext.com/articles/dorig-language), and [Nume](https://bliptext.com/articles/nume-language).\n\n# Economy\nThe livelihood of the people of Gaua is based on the agricultural economy that is traditional throughout of [Melanesia](https://bliptext.com/articles/melanesia): a combination of fishing and horticulture.\nTheir principal exports are [copra](https://bliptext.com/articles/copra) and [cacao](https://bliptext.com/articles/cocoa-bean).\nThe island is served by [Gaua Airport](https://bliptext.com/articles/gaua-airport), which is located in the northeast corner of the island.\n\n# Names\nThe modern name Gaua is pronounced in [Bislama](https://bliptext.com/articles/bislama), the lingua franca of Vanuatu, and in [French](https://bliptext.com/articles/french-language) or [English](https://bliptext.com/articles/english-language).\nIn the local [Banks languages](https://bliptext.com/articles/torres-banks-languages), the island was traditionally known not by one name, but two.\nOne name reconstructs in [Proto-Torres–Banks](https://bliptext.com/articles/proto-torres-banks-language) as a form *ɣaua, the other one as *laᵑgona.\nThese respectively referred to the northeast half of the island, and its southwestern half (where one finds Lakona Bay, and also where the [Lakon language](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) is spoken).\nThus the [Mota language](https://bliptext.com/articles/mota-language), which [missionaries](https://bliptext.com/articles/melanesian-mission) used when naming most places in the [Banks Islands](https://bliptext.com/articles/banks-islands), has the forms Gaua and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language)a ; [Olrat](https://bliptext.com/articles/olrat-language) and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) have Gaō and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language) ; and the immigrant language [Mwerlap](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwerlap-language) has Gō and [Lakon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lakon-language).\nOther [Torres-Banks languages](https://bliptext.com/articles/torres-banks-languages) that have reflexes of the two etyma include [Mwotlap](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwotlap-language) Agō and Alkon ; and [Vurës](https://bliptext.com/articles/vur-s-language) Gō and Lokon.\nSome modern languages have generalized one of these two etyma to refer to the whole island.\nThus it is called Gog in [Nume](https://bliptext.com/articles/nume-language), Gō in [Koro](https://bliptext.com/articles/koro-language-vanuatu) (both < *ɣaua), and Lkon in [Dorig](https://bliptext.com/articles/dorig-language) (< *laᵑgona).\nOther [Torres-Banks languages](https://bliptext.com/articles/torres-banks-languages) that have only one reflex of the two etyma include [Hiw](https://bliptext.com/articles/hiw-language) and [Lo-Toga](https://bliptext.com/articles/lo-toga-language) Gawe (< *ɣaua), [Vera'a](https://bliptext.com/articles/vera-a-language) Lōkōno (< *laᵑgona) and [Mwesen](https://bliptext.com/articles/mwesen-language) Gō (< *ɣaua).\n\n# History\nGaua was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of [Pedro Fernández de Quirós](https://bliptext.com/articles/pedro-fern-ndez-de-quir-s), from 25 to 29 April 1606.\nThe island’s name was then charted as Santa María.\n\n# Gallery","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}