Mavia (island)

For other uses, see Mavia.
Mavia
Labelled as Mafia Island
Geography
LocationPacific Ocean
Coordinates15.3847°0′S 167.2319°0′E / 15.385°S 167.232°E / -15.385; 167.232
ArchipelagoVanuatu
Area47[1] km2 (18 sq mi)
Highest elevation63 m (207 ft)
Administration
ProvinceSanma Province
Demographics
Population232 (2015)
Ethnic groupsMelanesian

Mavia (IPA: [mað̼ea]) is an inhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.[2] The island lies off the eastern coast of Espiritu Santo. The estimated terrain elevation above the sea level is some 63 metres.[3]

Population and language

As of 2015, the official local population was 232 people in 47 households.[4]

Some 30 local people speak the endangered Mavia language.[5] There are at least another 30 Mavia speakers who have left the island permanently to live throughout Vanuatu, mainly on Espiritu Santo Island (in the villages of Deproma and Matevulu), Aore Island, and in Port Vila, the capital city of Vanuatu. All Mavia speakers are bilingual in Bislama, one of the official languages of Vanuatu.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Vanuatu". Haos Blong Volkeno. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  2. ^ "ESPIRITU SANTO – EAST COAST". Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Mavea Island". Mapcarta. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  4. ^ "2015 Vanuatu National Population and Households Projections by Province and Islands" (PDF). Vanuatu National Statistics Office. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  5. ^ "A Grammar of Mavea: An Oceanic Language of Vanuatu by Valérie Guérin". University of Hawai'i Press. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  6. ^ Guerin, Valerie; Aoyama, Katsura. "Mavea". ResearchGate. Journal of the International Phonetic Association. Retrieved 6 August 2018.


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