Hiw Island

Coordinates: 13°08′38″S 166°34′05″E / 13.144°S 166.568°E / -13.144; 166.568

Hiw
Hiu

A detailed map of Hiw, showing modern villages (red) and ancient, now uninhabited villages (pink)
Geography
Location Pacific Ocean
Archipelago Vanuatu, Torres Islands
Area 51 km2 (20 sq mi)
Highest elevation 366 m (1,201 ft)
Highest point Mount Wonvara
Administration
Vanuatu
Province Torba Province
Demographics
Population 269 (2009)

Hiw (sometimes spelled Hiu) is the northernmost island in Vanuatu, located in Torba Province.

Geography

Location of the Torres Islands in the north of Vanuatu

Hiw is the largest island in the Torres Islands in Torba Province. It is situated east of the Torres Trench, south of Vanikoro in the Solomon Islands. It has an area of 51 square kilometres (20 square miles). The highest point is Mount Wonvara (366 metres (1,201 feet).

Vewoag Point (locally called Ngrë Twome), the northern cape of Hiw, is the northernmost point of land of Vanuatu. 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mile) of Hiw is a submerged coral reef, Ngwey Gakwe (formerly Recif Giraudeau), over which the waves break.

Population

Hiw has a population of about 270 inhabitants.[1]

They are distributed in three villages, all located on the east coast: Yogwye [ˈjɔɰwjə]; Yaqane [jaˈkʷanə]; and the main village Yögevigemëne [ˌjɵɣəˌβiɣəˈmenə], whose name is sometimes shortened to Yugemëne [ˌjʉɣəˈmenə].

The language spoken on the island is also called Hiw.

Transportation

The Torres islands are served by Torres Airport, which is located on the Linua island, south of Hiw.

References

  1. "2009 National Census of Population and Housing: Summary Release" (PDF). Vanuatu National Statistics Office. 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2010.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.