Eretoka (also Hat Island, Érétoka, Retoka, Artok) is a small uninhabited island in

Shefa Province Shefa is one of the six provinces of Vanuatu, located in the center of the country and including the islands of Epi (island), Epi and Efate and the Shepherd Islands. The province's name is derived from the initial letters of SHepherd and EFAte. It ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

in the Pacific Ocean. The island lies off the western coast of Efate Island. There is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

built in the 1960s.

Geography

Eretoka spans 2.3 kilometers in northeast-southwestern direction and has a maximum width of 670 meters. The center of the island forms a cap of coral lime over stratified pumice and is 90 meters high. Around the island center extends a wide and flat area of sand and limestone, which was lifted over the water surface during the last elevation of the seabed. Most of this area is no higher than five meters above sea level.

History

Roy Mata, a powerful 16th-17th century Melanesian chief, was buried in the island. His elaborate grave was proclaimed a taboo and is supposed to contain the bodies of over 25 members of his retinue. The grave was studied by French archaeologist Jose Garranger in 1967, who analyzed the local folklore. In 2008, three sites associated with Roy Mata on the islands of

Efate Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third larg ...

, Lelepa and Eretoka, were made

UNESCO World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

."Chief Roi Mata’s Domain"
UNESCO

References

{{authority control Islands of Vanuatu Shefa Province Uninhabited islands of Vanuatu