Vava’u
Map of Vavaʻu.
|
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 18°39′S 173°59′W / 18.650°S 173.983°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 |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 14,922 (2011) |
| Pop. density | 108.1 /km2 (280 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Tongan (majority), European, Chinese, Pacific Islanders. |
Vavaʻu is the island group of one large island (ʻUtu Vavaʻu) and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. It is part of Vavaʻu District which includes several other individual islands. According to tradition the Maui god fished up both Tongatapu and Vavaʻu but put a little more effort into the former. Vavaʻu rises 204 metres (669 ft) above sea level at Mount Talau. The capital is Neiafu, which is the fifth largest city in Tonga, situated at the Port of Refuge (Puatalefusi or Lolo-ʻa-Halaevalu).
In Polynesia it is explained that the islands were created by the god Maui, who caught the bottom of the sea with his magic hook, fished up and left on the sea surface what became the islands of Vavaʻu. In total there are 70 islands, of which 17 are inhabited, spread over six districts.
Don Francisco Mourelle de la Rúa, commanding Spanish frigate Princesa was the first European to come to Vavaʻu, on 4 March 1781. He charted Vava'u as Martín de Mayorga who was the Viceroy of New Spain at the time.Captain James Cook knew about the islands a decade before, but the people in Haʻapai told him it would be no good for him to go there as there was no harbour. Apparently they did not want him to go there, and Cook heeded their advice anyway.
...
Wikipedia