Monuriki

Monuriki
	Monuriki
Waters	Pacific Ocean
Archipelago	Mamanuca Archipelago ( Fiji Islands )
Geographical location	17 ° 36 '32 " S , 177 ° 2' 2" O Coordinates: 17 ° 36 '32 " S , 177 ° 2' 2" O
length	1.1 km
width	600 m
surface	40 ha
Highest elevation	Mountain ; 178 m
Residents	uninhabited

Monuriki , also known as Mondriki or Modriki , is an island in the Mamanucas archipelago , part of the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific . The small, uninhabited island is west of Viti Levu , the largest island in Fiji .

Geography and climate

The volcanic island is just over a kilometer long and about 600 meters wide. The land area is approximately 0.4 km² and is surrounded on all sides by a coral reef . The highest point is 178 m .

Climate values of Nadi about 36 kilometers southwest of Monuriki

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	31.6	31.5	31.1	30.7	29.7	29.2	28.5	28.7	29.4	30.2	30.9	31.4	O	30.2
Min. Temperature (° C)	22.7	22.9	22.6	21.7	20.1	19.3	18.3	18.4	19.3	20.4	21.5	22.1	O	20.8

Precipitation ( mm )	299	302	324	163	78	62	46	58	77	103	138	159	Σ	1,809

Rainy days ( d )	18th	19th	19th	12	7th	6th	5	5	7th	9	11	13	Σ	131

Source: Monthly means for the 30-year comparison period 1961-1990

history

After the mutiny on the Bounty on April 28, 1789, William Bligh drove the open launch through the area of the northern Fiji Islands. On the way to Kupang he was the first European to discover several islands of the Fiji group, which is why the sea area north of the Fiji island of Viti Levu , which was crossed and in which Monuriki is located, was named "Bligh Water".

Monuriki became known among other things through the movie Cast Away - Verschollen , with Tom Hanks in the lead role. The location became a tourist attraction after the film was released.

Flora and fauna

Fijian crested iguana

The island of Monuriki is one of the very few on which the endangered Fiji crested iguanas ( Brachylophus vitiensis ) live. These iguanas feed on a wide range of plants and insects. They spend most of their time well camouflaged in the branches of the trees. The green lizards with white "zebra stripes", yellow nostrils and a back crest made of horn tips can be up to a meter long. However, they are acutely threatened with extinction and only occur in a few thousand specimens on individual western minor islands of Fiji such as Yadua Taba , Macuata and Monuriki.

The higher vegetation consists mainly of screw trees ( Pandanus ) and coconut palms ( Cocos nucifera ).

In the past, the low vegetation was eaten up by about 50 goats down to the rocks, which destroyed the iguana's food sources. Attempts during the filming of Cast Away to free the island of goats through financial incentives failed. The iguanas are to be saved with a new environmental protection initiative, which also includes artificial rearing.

literature

Peter S. Harlow, Pita N. Biciloab: Abundance of the Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis) on two islands. In: Biological Conservation Volume 98, Issue 2, (2001), pp. 223-231. doi : 10.1016 / S0006-3207 (00) 00157-9