Tanna (island)
Tanna and the nearby island of Aniwa
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| Geography | |
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| Location | South Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 19°30′S 169°20′E / 19.500°S 169.333°ECoordinates: 19°30′S 169°20′E / 19.500°S 169.333°E |
| Archipelago | Vanuatu |
| Area | 550 km2 (210 sq mi) |
| Length | 40 km (25 mi) |
| Width | 19 km (11.8 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,084 m (3,556 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Tukosmera |
| Administration | |
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Vanuatu
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| Province | Tafea Province |
| Largest settlement | Lénakel |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 28,799 (2009) |
| Pop. density | 36.36 /km2 (94.17 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Melanesians |
Tanna (sometimes spelled Tana) is an island in Tafea Province of Vanuatu.
It is 40 kilometres (25 miles) long and 19 kilometres (12 miles) wide, with a total area of 550 square kilometres (212 square miles). Its highest point is the 1,084-metre (3,556-foot) summit of Mount Tukosmera in the south of the island.
Siwi Lake was located in the east, northeast of the peak, close to the coast until mid April 2000 when following unusually heavy rain, the lake burst down the valley into Sulphur Bay, destroying the village with no loss of life. Mount Yasur is an accessible active volcano which is located on the southeast coast.
Tanna was first settled about 400 BC by Melanesians from the surrounding islands. The glowing light of Mount Yasur attracted James Cook, the first European to visit the island, in August 1774, where he landed in an inlet on the southeastern tip of the island that he named Port Resolution after his ship HMS Resolution. He gave the island the name of Tanna, probably from the local name for earth, tana in the Kwamera language.
In the 19th century, traders and missionaries (chiefly Presbyterian) arrived. The Tannese stuck to their traditions more strongly than other islands; there remain fewer Christians in comparison with the other islands of Vanuatu.
Tanna was not a principal site of World War II, but about 1,000 people from Tanna were recruited to work on the American military base on Éfaté. Exposure to First World living standards may have led to the development of cargo cults. Many have died out, but the John Frum cult remains strong on Tanna today, especially at Sulphur Bay in the south east and Green Point in the South West of the Island.
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Wikipedia