Pentecost Island
| Pentecost Island | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Waters | Pacific Ocean |
| Archipelago | New Hebrides |
| Geographical location | 15 ° 46 ′ S , 168 ° 11 ′ E |
 |
|
| surface | 490 km² |
| Highest elevation |
Mount Vulmat 947 m |
| Residents | 16,843 (2009) 34 inhabitants / km² |
| main place | Loltong |
 |
|
The Pentecost Island (in German also Pentecost Island ) is an island of the New Hebrides and one of the 83 islands that the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu form. It is located 190 kilometers north of the capital Port Vila . Pentecost is 490 km² and has 16,843 inhabitants (as of 2009). This corresponds to a population density of 34 inhabitants per square kilometer (km²). Pentecost Island is known in French as Pentecôte , in Bislama it is called Pentikos.
geography
Pentecost is a fairly mountainous island. A mountain range extends over 60 kilometers through the island. The largest mountain is Mount Vulmat with a height of 947 meters.
The largest villages are (from north to south):
- Laon
- Loltong (administrative center)
- Bwatnapne
- Melsisi
- Baravet
- Lonorore
- Hotwata
- Panas
- Wali
- Pangi
- Sala
The island's administrative center is Loltong on the north west coast.
history
Pentecost got its name from the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville , who discovered the island on his trip around the world at Pentecost ( English Pentecost ) on May 22, 1768.
Several missionaries were later sent to Pentecost to Christianize the population . However, the inhabitants kept their old traditions.
Traditions
Pentecost Island is famous for its liana jumpers , whose tradition is the origin of bungee jumping .
Sand drawings
On the South Sea islands of Vanuatu, a different language was spoken on almost all of the islands. Communication used to be established through drawings that were painted in the sand. These sand drawings were recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage of mankind in 2003.
Agriculture
Grain cultivation
There are no real cities on Pentecost. Most of the residents live in small agricultural villages and survive through self-sufficiency . The main crops are cereals and vegetables , cassava , yams , bananas , cumula (sweet potatoes), coconuts , papaya , citrus fruits , sugar cane , cocoa , mango , pineapples , nuts and much more.
Farm animals
Farm animals are pigs , cattle and chickens , which are mainly used for food production.
Public facilities
Air traffic
Pentecost has two airfields, one in Lonorore in the southwest and one in Sara in the north. The landing areas are quite small, only four planes land a week. Nevertheless, Pentecost has a regular connection to the outside world. Only a few villages are often isolated from the outside world for months due to the lack of mountain roads.
Shipping
The shipping traffic is quite well developed, in contrast to the air traffic. The village of Pangi also has a dock for cruise ships that sometimes stop there.
languages
There are five languages on Pentecost Island: Raga (spoken by Pentecost in the north), Abma or Apma (spoken in central Pentecost), Sowa (an almost extinct language that used to be spoken in the south of Pentecost), Seke ( a language that is only spoken in Baravet) and Sa (a south-pentecost language). Most of the population also speaks English .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Louis-Antoine de Bougainville: Journey around the world . Edited by Lars M. Hoffmann, Edition Erdmann, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 978-3-86539-816-1 , p. 253
- ↑ UNESCO: Vanuatu Sand Drawings
