The Loyalty Islands Province (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''Province des îles Loyauté'') is one of three

administrative subdivisions Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , 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 , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

encompassing the Loyalty Island (french: Îles Loyauté)

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

in the

Pacific 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 contine ...

, which are located northeast of the New Caledonian mainland of Grande Terre. The provincial government seat is part of the

territory of New Caledonia, at

Lifou Lifou is a commune of France 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 Isla ...

, which is away. The Loyalty Islands are a '' collectivité territoriale'' of France. The province's 2019 population was approximately 18,353 inhabitants living on almost . The native inhabitants are the

Kanak The Kanak (French spelling until 1984: Canaque) are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. According to the 2019 census, the Kanak make up 41.2% of New Caledonia' ...

and the Tavu'avua' peoples.

History

The first Western contact on record is attributed to British Captain

William Raven William Raven (1756–1814) was an English master mariner, naval officer and merchant. He commanded the whaler and sealing vessel ''Britannia'' and the naval store ship in Australian and New Zealand waters from 1792 until 1799. While in command ...

of the whaler ''Britannia'', who was on his way in 1793 from

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together wit ...

to Batavia (now called

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

). It is very likely, however, that the discovery and name originated with officials on the London ship ''Loyalty'', which was on a Pacific Ocean trading voyage from 1789 to 1790. The

French Government The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

demanded the removal of

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

from the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...

led by Rev. Samuel Macfarlane from the Loyalty Islands and

in 1869. This led to the missionaries travelling to the

Torres Strait Islands The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They span an area of , but their total la ...

on the vessel ''Surprise'', in an event still celebrated as " The Coming of the Light", on 1 July 1871. Dated 20 January 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2021.

Geography

The archipelago consists of six inhabited islands:

Lifou Island Lifou Island, historically spelt Lifu or Lefu in English, and known as Drehu in the local language, is the largest, most populous and most important island of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of ...

Maré Island Maré Island or Nengone (french: Île de Maré) is the second-largest of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of Maré ...

, Tiga Island,

Ouvéa Island Ouvéa Island or Uvea Island is one of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of Ouvéa, in the Loyalty Islands Provinc ...

Mouli Island Mouli Island (sometimes also spelled Mouly Island; also known as Hwakaiö) is one of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) ...

, and

Faiava Island Faiava Island (also known as Wasaü) is one of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of Ouvéa, in the Loyalty Islands Pro ...

, as well as several smaller uninhabited islands and

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

s. Their combined land area is . The highest elevation is at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

on Maré Island. The islands are part of the New Caledonia rain forests ecoregion. The chief export of the Loyalty Islands is

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 ...

. There is mining on the main island, ''Grand Terre.'' An

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

of moment magnitude 7.7 was reported just after midnight on 11 February 2021 in an area south-east of the islands, with several aftershocks. Over 50 quakes of magnitude greater than 4.5 were recorded in less than 24 hours.

Demographics

The people of the Loyalty Islands are of mixed Melanesian and Polynesian ancestry, with a small European minority. The population numbered 17,436 in the 2009 census, a 7.9% reduction from the 22,080 in the preceding 2004 census. In 2014 the population grew to 18,297, an increase of 4.9%, and in 2019 the population grew a further 0.1% to 18,353. Several thousand more Loyalty Islanders live on New Caledonia, especially in

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and ...

, the capital, and in the mining areas of the main island.

Communes

The Loyalty Islands Province is divided into three

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...

(municipalities): *

(comprises

, Tiga Island, and several

s) * Maré (comprises

and Dudun Island) * Ouvéa (comprises

, and several additional islands and islets nearby) * Walpole Island is geographically part of the Loyalty Islands, but administratively part of the commune of Île des Pins,

South Province, New Caledonia The South Province () is one of three administrative subdivisions in New Caledonia. It corresponds to the southern and southwestern portion of the New Caledonian mainland. Overview It is by far the most economically developed and most urbanized ...

Provincial congress

As of 2018, there are 14 seats in the province's congress held by six parties: the nationalist

Caledonian Union The Caledonian Union (, UC) is a pro-independence and the oldest political party in New Caledonia. In the latest legislative elections of May 10, 2009, the party won around 11.65% of the popular vote, and 9 out of 54 seats in the Territorial Co ...

holds four, the anti-independence Rally for Caledonia in the Republic holds two, and the National Union for Independence-Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, Socialist Kanak Liberation,

Renewed Caledonian Union The Renewed Caledonian Union (, UC-R) is a political party in New Caledonia formed by dissidents from the Caledonian Union. It is a member of the National Union for Independence (UNI) coalition, which is in turn a member of the Kanak and Social ...

and Union of Pro-Independence Co-operation Committees each have two.

Presidents of Loyalty Province

*1st Richard Kaloï 1989–1995 *2nd

Nidoïsh Naisseline Nidoïsh Naisseline (June 27, 1945, in Guahma on Maré Island – June 3, 2015, in Nouméa) was a New Caledonian politician. A Kanak of the Nétché tribe, born on the island of Maré, he was an advocate of New Caledonian independence. He ...

14 July 1995 – 9 May 1999 *3rd

Robert Xowie Robert Xowie (born August 27, 1962 in the Wetr district of Lifou) is a New Caledonian politician and pro-independence advocate. A Kanak of the Siloam tribe, Xowie served as President of Loyalty Islands Province from 1999 until 2004, as well ...

14 May 1999 – 9 May 2004 *4th

Néko Hnepeune Néko Hnepeune (born April 21, 1954, in Wé) is a New Caledonian politician. A Kanak and advocate for New Caledonian independence, he has served as president of the Loyalty Islands since 2004, and has been mayor of Lifou Lifou is a com ...

14 May 2004 – 17 May 2019 *5th Jacques Lalié 17 May 2019 – present

References

Bibliography

* Dunbabin, Thomas: William Raven, RN, and his 'Britannia', 1792–95; in: The Mariner's mirror, Vol. 46, No. 4 (Nov.); London .a.1960 (S. 297–303) * Dunmore, John: Who's who in Pacific navigation; Carlton, Vic. 1992 * Henze, Dietmar: Enzyklopädie der Entdecker und Erforscher der Erde, Bd. 4; Graz 2000 * Jones, A. G. E.: Ships employed in the South Seas trade Vol. 1: 1775 - 1861; Canberra 1986 & Vol. 2: 1775 - 1859; Burwood, Vic. 992* * Riesenberg, Saul H.: Six Pacific island discoveries; in: The

American Neptune The ''American Neptune: A Quarterly Journal of Maritime History and Arts'' was an academic journal covering American maritime history from its establishment in 1941 until it ceased publication in 2002. History Established by Samuel Eliot Moris ...

, Vol. 34; Salem, Mass. 1974 (S. 249–57) * Sharp, Andrew: The discovery of the Pacific Islands; Oxford 1960 {{authority control Provinces of New Caledonia Geography of New Caledonia Loyalty Islands Islands of New Caledonia Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean