Espiritu Santo
| Nickname: Santo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Geography | |
| Location | Sanma Province, Vanuatu |
| Coordinates | 15°15′S 166°50′E / 15.250°S 166.833°ECoordinates: 15°15′S 166°50′E / 15.250°S 166.833°E |
| Archipelago | New Hebrides |
| Area | 3,955.5 km2 (1,527.2 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,879 m (6,165 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Tabwemasana |
| Administration | |
| Province | Sanma |
| Largest settlement | Luganville (pop. 10,738) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 39,606 (2009) |
| Ethnic groups | Ni-Vanuatu |
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of 3,955.5 km2 (1,527.2 sq mi) and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census.
It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu. The town of Luganville, on Espiritu Santo's southeast coast, is Vanuatu's second-largest settlement and the provincial capital. Roads run north and west from Luganville but most of the island is far from the limited road network.
Vanuatu's highest peak is the 1879 metre (6165 foot) Mount Tabwemasana in west-central Espiritu Santo.
In 1998, Santo hosted the Melanesia Cup.
A Spanish expedition led by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, established a settlement in 1606 at Big Bay on the north side of the island. Espiritu Santo takes its name from Queirós, who named the entire island group La Austrialia [sic] del Espíritu Santo in acknowledgment of the Spanish king's descent from the royal House of Austria, and believing he had arrived in the Great Southern Continent, Terra Australis. During the time of the British–French Condominium, Hog Harbour, on the northeast coast, was the site of the British district administration, while Segond, near Luganville was the French district administration.
During World War II, particularly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the island was used by Allied forces as a military supply and support base, naval harbor, and airfield. In highly fictionalized form, it is the locale of James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific and the subsequent Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific. The presence of the Allies later contributed to the island's diving tourism, as the United States dumped most of their equipment and refuse at what is now known as 'Million Dollar Point'. Another wreck off Espiritu Santo, the SS President Coolidge, is also a popular diving spot. The SS President Coolidge was a converted luxury liner that hit a mine during the war.
...
Wikipedia