Tagula Island
11°30′S 153°26′E / 11.500°S 153.433°E
Vanatinai (formerly called Sudest or Tagula, with the latter still used on some maps) is a volcanic island in the south-east of the Louisiade Archipelago within Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The reef fringed island is approximately 360 kilometres (220 mi) south-east of New Guinea. With an area of 865.7 square kilometres (334.2 sq mi), it is the largest island of the archipelago. Vanatinai town, the main settlement, is located on the northwest coast. The population of the island was about 2,300 in 1978. The principal export is copra.
The island is 63 kilometres (39 mi) long, stretching northwest-southeast, and up to 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) km wide. A wooded mountain range runs through the length of the island, with the the summit, Mount Riu (806 m) near the center. The most important peaks of the range are, from west to east:
- Mount Madau (269 m)
- Mount Gangulua (439 m)
- Mount Riu (formerly called Mount Rattlesnake) (806 m)
- Mount Arumbi (350 m)
The island was the site of a gold rush that peaked in 1889. Gold was found in nearly all of the island's water courses.[1]
Several species are endemic to the island, including the aptly named Tagula White-eye and Tagula Honeyeater.
References
- ^ Pacific Islands Yearbook, 13th ed., Sydney, New York 1972
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Islands of Papua New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| Bismarck Archipelago | |
| Louisiade Archipelago | |
| North Solomon Islands | |
