Kwakéa

Kwakéa
Island
Location of Kwakéa (Qakea) off Vanua Lava in Banks Islands
Kwakéa
Location in Vanuatu
Coordinates: 13°52′59″S 167°35′59″E / 13.88306°S 167.59972°E / -13.88306; 167.59972Coordinates: 13°52′59″S 167°35′59″E / 13.88306°S 167.59972°E / -13.88306; 167.59972
Country  Vanuatu
Province Torba Province
Population (2009)
 • Total 26
Time zone UTC+11 (VUT)

Kwakéa (or Pakea, or Qakea) is an islet located east of Vanua Lava in the Banks Islands, Vanuatu.

The channel that flows between Kwakea and Vanua Lava is known as Dudley Channel. Islet Nawila lies 500 m west of Kwakéa.

History

The island was purchased by English settlers, Frank and Alice Whitford, in the mid-1890s from the native title owners from Mota. The Whitfords created palm plantations before a hurricane wiped out the island on November 25, 1939. The only thing that remains is the Whitford family cemetery.

Name

The spellings Kwakéa (or Kwakea) and Pakea represent two different attempts at transcribing the form [k͡pʷakea], which is the island's name in the language Mota. This form is rendered as Qakea in Mota's orthography.

The same island is known under slightly different names in the vernacular languages of the region. In Mwesen and Vurës, it is called Qeke (IPA: [k͡pʷɛkɛ]); in Mwotlap, it is Aqke (IPA: [ak͡pʷkɛ]).

Population

The island has a population of only 26 according to the 2009 census.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 2009 Census Summary release final Archived 2013-12-21 at the Wayback Machine. - Government of Vanuatu


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