Lifou Island
Encyclopedia
Lifou Island is the largest and most important island of the Loyalty Islands
, in the archipelago
of New Caledonia
, an overseas territory of France
in the Pacific Ocean
. It is located at 20.9°S 167.2°E.
(municipality) of Lifou
, in the Islands Province of New Caledonia. The administrative center of the commune is located at Wé
, on Lifou Island.
Irregular in shape, Lifou Island is 81 km (50.3 mi) long and 16 to 24 km (10 to 15 miles) wide. The island is flat with no hills or rivers, but has abundant vegetation, fertile soils, and terraced cliffs. Lifou Island is a former coral atoll that was part of a submerged volcano. Nearly 2 million years ago, the island was uplifted
to its present shape and elevation. Since there are no rivers on Lifou, the water comes from rain that seeps through the calcareous soil
and forms freshwater ponds.
, rubber
, vanilla
and sugarcane
.
.
The current traditional high chief of the island is Evanes Boula
.
Loyalty Islands
The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the French territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is away. They form the Loyalty Islands Province , one of the three provinces of New Caledonia...
, in the archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, an overseas territory of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It is located at 20.9°S 167.2°E.
Administration
The island is part of the communeCommunes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
(municipality) of Lifou
Lifou
Lifou is a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.-Geography:Lifou is made up of Lifou Island, the largest and most heavily populated of the Loyalty Islands, its smaller neighbour Tiga Island, and several uninhabited islets in between these two...
, in the Islands Province of New Caledonia. The administrative center of the commune is located at Wé
Wé
Wé is a small town in the commune of Lifou, in the Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia. It is located on the east coast of Lifou Island. Wé is the administrative centre of the commune of Lifou as well as the location of the provincial assembly of the Loyalty Islands....
, on Lifou Island.
Geography
Tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...
to its present shape and elevation. Since there are no rivers on Lifou, the water comes from rain that seeps through the calcareous soil
Calcareous
Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...
and forms freshwater ponds.
Economy
Tourism is a major industry on the island. Chief exports include copraCopra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...
, rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
and sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
.
Culture
The native language of the island is DrehuDrehu language
Drehu is an Austronesian language mostly spoken on Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. It has about twelve-thousand fluent speakers and the status of a French regional language...
.
The current traditional high chief of the island is Evanes Boula
Evanès Boula
Evanès Boula is the current chief of Lössi and high chief of Lifou in the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia. His is one of three Kanak chieftaincies on the island of Lifou, the others being Gaïtcha and Wetr, and was established by the Boula dynasty prior to the arrivial of French colonists...
.