Merig

Merig
Island
Location of Merig in Banks Islands
Merig Location in Vanuatu
Coordinates: 14°19′S167°48′E / 14.317°S 167.800°E / -14.317; 167.800
Country	Vanuatu
Province	Torba Province
Area
• Total	0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
	[1]
Population  (2009)
• Total	12
• Density	24/km2 (62/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+11 (VUT)

Merig is a small island located 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of Gaua, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.

The island is about 800 metres (2,600 feet) wide, and has a circumference of 2.2 kilometres (1 mile).

Name

The name Merig [ŋ͡mʷeriɣ] comes from the Mota language. It comes from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *mʷera riɣi "the small boy" via haplology to *mʷeriɣi. It contrasts with Merelava, from *mʷera-i laβa "the big boy". The native term in Mwerlap is N̄wërig [ŋʷɞˈriɣ] , from the same etymon.

History

The first recorded sighting of Merig Island by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 25 April 1606. ^[2] It was then named Île Sainte Claire. ^[3]

Population

As of 2009, Merig was only inhabited by three households, consisting of 12 individuals. ^[4] Merig was not listed in Vanuatu's 2020 census. ^[5]

The inhabitants of Merig speak Mwerlap, ^[6] the language of the neighbouring island Merelava.

References

1. "Vanuatu". Haos Blong Volkeno. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
2. Sharp, Andrew The discovery of the Pacific Islands Oxford, 1960, p.65.
3. Sidney Herbert Ray (29 May 2014). A Comparative Study of the Melanesian Island Languages. Cambridge University Press. pp. 427–. ISBN   978-1-107-68202-3.
4. "2009 National Census of Population and Housing: Summary Release" (PDF). Vanuatu National Statistics Office. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 10, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
5. "2020 National Population and Housing Census" (PDF). Vanuatu National Statistics Office. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
6. Languages of the Banks & Torres Islands.

External links

• "Merig". Global Volcanism Program . Smithsonian Institution . Retrieved 2021-06-28.