Vaitupu
| Vaitupu | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| archipelago | Ellice Islands | |
| Geographical location | 7 ° 28 ′ S , 178 ° 41 ′ E | |
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| Number of islands | 9 | |
| Main island | Vaitupu | |
| Land area | 4.3 km² | |
| Lagoon area | 1.3 km² | |
| Residents | 1558 (2012) | |
Vaitupu is an atoll in the island state of Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean . The atoll consists of the main island Vaitupu and eight small motus : the Luasamotu group (2 motus), the Mosana group (3 motus) as well as Motutanifa , Tofia , Olepa and Tomoto , on which there are seven villages.
Vaitupu is the largest atoll of Tuvalu by land area with 5.63 square kilometers . However, the lagoon is considered to be one of the smallest in the country at around four square kilometers. The atoll has 1558 inhabitants (2012).
The main town of the atoll is Asau .
history
The first settlement of Vaitupus can no longer be precisely reconstructed today. It is possible that residents of the Tonga group settled the atoll in the mid-13th century. What is certain, however, is that the founder of the atoll's first tribe, Telematua, lived on Vaitupu in the 16th or 17th century. Relations between the atoll and its neighboring atolls have been peaceful throughout the relatively short history.
In 1860 the island was successfully proselytized by Christian priests from the London Missionary Society . With the missionary work, the Samoan language was also introduced, since all Bibles were written in Samoan.
Population and economy
Vaitupu has the second largest population in Tuvalu with 1558 inhabitants (as of 2012), a good third of whom live in Asau. In 1940 the population of the atoll was so large that some had to emigrate to Fiji . The residents live from subsistence farming . Tourism is of little economic importance. There is a church, post office, elementary school and high school on the atoll. The English writer Lewis Wade lives with his family on the small Motu Temoto .
The atoll became famous in 2000. 18 girls and a teacher died when a fire broke out in a dormitory of the Motufouna school .
Sons and Daughters of the Atoll
- Sir Filoimea Telito GCMG, MBE (1945–2011), Governor General of Tuvalu
- Apisai Ielemia (1955-2018), politician and head of government (2006-10)
- Susitino Sionepoe (* 1965), religious, bishop of Wallis and Futuna
- Taukelina Finikaso , Tuvalus Minister of Economics and Tourism since 2013
Web links
- History of the atoll (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Tuvalu Online GIS. Tuvalu Central Statistics Office, January 2015, accessed January 8, 2015 .
