Mavia or Mavea (known locally as Mav̋ea ) is an inhabited island in
Sanma Province
Sanma is a province located in the Northern part of the nation of Vanuatu, occupying the nation's largest island, Espiritu Santo, which is located approximately 2,500 km northeast of Sydney, Australia.
The name Sanma is derived from the ...
of
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 eastern coast of
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census.
Geography
The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...
. The estimated terrain elevation above the sea level is some 63 metres.
Population and language
As of 2015, the official local population was 232 people in 47 households.
Some 30 local people speak the endangered
Mavea language. There are at least another 30 Mavea speakers who have left the island permanently to live throughout Vanuatu, mainly on Espiritu Santo Island (in the villages of Deproma and Matevulu),
Aore Island, and in
Port Vila
Port Vila ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the island of Efate, in Shefa Province.
The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census. In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the ...
, the capital city of Vanuatu. All Mavea speakers are bilingual in
Bislama
Bislama ( ; ; also known by its earlier French name, ) is an English-based creole language. It is the national language of Vanuatu, and one of the three official languages of the country, the other ones being English and French. Bislama is the ...
, one of the official languages of Vanuatu.
References
Islands of Vanuatu
Sanma Province
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