Lifou is a
commune of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in the
Loyalty Islands Province of
New Caledonia
)
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, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
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in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
.
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. All these islands lie among the Loyalty Islands, northeast of
New Caledonia's mainland. At , Lifou Island is the largest atoll in the world.
The town of
Wé
Wé is a small town in the commune of Lifou, in the Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia
)
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, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
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, on Lifou Island, is the administrative centre of the commune of Lifou as well as the provincial seat of the
Loyalty Islands Province.
Climate
Lifou has a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Am''). The average annual temperature in Lifou is . The average annual rainfall is with March as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in February, at around , and lowest in August, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Lifou was on 7 February 2016; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 27 July 1985.
Geology
Like
Maré and
Ouvéa, the other Loyalty islands, Lifou is made of fossil coral. Lifou is a ''makatea'' (
raised coral atoll
A raised coral atoll or uplifted coral atoll is an atoll that has been lifted high enough above sea level by tectonic forces to protect it from scouring by storms and enable soils and diverse – often endemic – species of flora and fauna to de ...
), an ancient lagoon slowly raised by geological processes.
Due to the uplift, Lifou consists of a wide, flat centre surrounded by cliffs which correspond to the ancient reefal cliffs. The coral rock exhibits high porosity and hence, neither Lifou nor any of the other Loyalty Islands have surface water.
It does, however, have a large freshwater reservoir which can be accessed through caves. These caves were used in the past when searching for fresh water, and are very important to the island's mythology.
History
Economic
The first Europeans to have contact with Lifouans were whalers, who had very limited, and certainly not friendly, communications with them. Sandalwood traders also came to New Caledonia around 1841.
Religious
By the mid-19th century, there were Anglican missionaries at work on Lifou, although there had been natives and Polynesian immigrants doing religious work before then.
In 1843, French Catholic missionaries arrived on Lifou;
shortly afterward, the Anglicans and Catholics became involved in a religious war that lasted until the French takeover of Lifou in 1864. The missionaries even established a school on Lifou Island,
and from 1840 to the early 20th century taught most of the population to read.
In 1866,
St. Anne Chapel was built in Inagoj. In recent years Lifouans have been referred to as "devout Christians."
Economy
Tourism
Lifou is a popular cruise port, with many cruises coming from
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. The most common port-of-call is
Easo; the ships anchor just off the island and tender passengers ashore, being too large for the wharf there. Lifou is known for its snorkeling.
Farming
The Lifouans grow several crops, including yams, taro, and bananas; they also produce
copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...
.
Notable residents
*
Christian Karembeu, a French footballer who won the
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for t ...
with the French National side, is from Lifou.
*
Rosine Streeter, trade unionist, was born on Lifou.
Images of Lifou
File:lifou island.jpg ,
File:Loyalty islands Lifou map.png ,
File:Corail Lifou.JPG,
References
External links
Gallery of images from LifouTourism in Loyalty Islands
{{authority control
Communes of New Caledonia
Loyalty Islands