Niuafo'ou
Encyclopedia
Niuafoou is the most northerly island in the kingdom of Tonga
. It is a volcanic
rim island of 15 km² and with a population of 650 in 2006.
between Fiji
and Samoa
, 574 km north of Tongatapu
island group and 337 kilometers northwest of Vavau
. It is still an active volcano.
Other names for the island are Good Hope island and Tin Can island. The latter name originated from the fact that, since the island has neither a natural harbor nor a wharf, mail was delivered and picked up by strong swimmers who would retrieve packages, "sealed up in a biscuit tin" and thrown overboard from passing ships. Established in the nineteenth century, Tin Can Mail was developed by a trader named Walter George Quensell, who festooned the mail with many colourful cachets that have become a collectors' item. The Tongan government took over this tradition with special Niuafoou stamps since 1983.
Niuafoou is a volcano located on an underwater ridge 190 kilometres (118.1 mi) west of the line of all the other volcanoes of Tonga. The island contains a steep-sided caldera
; the rim is over 120 metres (393.7 ft) high, rising to a height of 250 metres (820.2 ft) at Mokotu. The coastline is rocky and steep with only a few stony black sand beaches. The only landing place on the island is the end of a lava flow
at Futu, in the west. All the villages are in the north and east. Public places like the post office, telecommunications station and airport are in Angahā in the north, while a high school is located in Mua.
The island ring encloses two lakes. The largest, Vai Lahi, is a crater lake
23 meters above sea level
, 4 kilometers wide, and 84 meters deep. The lake contains three islands and a submerged island that appears when the water level drops. Vai Lahi is separated from the smaller Vai Sii (or Vai Mataaho) by a desolate landscape of sand hills. The island is covered by forest on the inner walls of the crater lake, and on the island's eastern and western slopes.
Niuafoou has been an active volcano for thousands of years. In 1853, the village of Ahau was destroyed, killing 25 people. Lava flows from eruptions in 1912 and 1929 destroyed the village of Futu, cut off the harbor, and killed all the vegetation on the western slopes of the island. Other eruptions occurred in 1935, 1936, 1943, and 1946. The 1946 eruption was a particularly violent one and in December 1946 Niuafoou's inhabitants were evacuated and resettled on the island of Eua
. Eua and Niuafoou share many place names, (see list of cities in Tonga) showing where the resettlers went to. The first groups of inhabitants were allowed to return to the island in 1958.
.
Niuafoou was put on the European maps by Willem Schouten
and Jacob Le Maire
during their famous circumnavigation of the globe in 1616. After their not so successful encounter with the islanders of Niuatoputapu
, they approached this island with some more hope to find refreshments, so it was called Goede Hoop island. They found black cliffs, green on top, plenty of coconut trees, some houses along the seaside and a whole village near a landing place. But the ship the Eendracht (Unity) could not anchor and they had to limit themselves with some trade with the Indians who came along in their swift canoes. That went on fine for a short while. But when the islanders tried to get away with the small sounding boat, the Dutch
had to use fire force again. After this they proceeded with their trip to the west, but veering towards the north and so happened to reach Futuna
and Alofi
.
Between 1946 and 1947, the island was completely evacuated by the Tongan government following a volcanic eruption. In 1957 about half of the population returned to Niuafo'ou, and the rest remained in 'Eua.
In January 2002, the island was devastated by Cyclone Waka which destroyed hundreds of homes and killed one person.
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
. It is a volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
rim island of 15 km² and with a population of 650 in 2006.
Geography
The island is located in the southern Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
between Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, 574 km north of Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
island group and 337 kilometers northwest of Vavau
Vava'u
Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavau but put a little more effort into the former. Vavau rises 204 meters above sea level...
. It is still an active volcano.
Other names for the island are Good Hope island and Tin Can island. The latter name originated from the fact that, since the island has neither a natural harbor nor a wharf, mail was delivered and picked up by strong swimmers who would retrieve packages, "sealed up in a biscuit tin" and thrown overboard from passing ships. Established in the nineteenth century, Tin Can Mail was developed by a trader named Walter George Quensell, who festooned the mail with many colourful cachets that have become a collectors' item. The Tongan government took over this tradition with special Niuafoou stamps since 1983.
Niuafoou is a volcano located on an underwater ridge 190 kilometres (118.1 mi) west of the line of all the other volcanoes of Tonga. The island contains a steep-sided caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
; the rim is over 120 metres (393.7 ft) high, rising to a height of 250 metres (820.2 ft) at Mokotu. The coastline is rocky and steep with only a few stony black sand beaches. The only landing place on the island is the end of a lava flow
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
at Futu, in the west. All the villages are in the north and east. Public places like the post office, telecommunications station and airport are in Angahā in the north, while a high school is located in Mua.
The island ring encloses two lakes. The largest, Vai Lahi, is a crater lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
23 meters above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, 4 kilometers wide, and 84 meters deep. The lake contains three islands and a submerged island that appears when the water level drops. Vai Lahi is separated from the smaller Vai Sii (or Vai Mataaho) by a desolate landscape of sand hills. The island is covered by forest on the inner walls of the crater lake, and on the island's eastern and western slopes.
Niuafoou has been an active volcano for thousands of years. In 1853, the village of Ahau was destroyed, killing 25 people. Lava flows from eruptions in 1912 and 1929 destroyed the village of Futu, cut off the harbor, and killed all the vegetation on the western slopes of the island. Other eruptions occurred in 1935, 1936, 1943, and 1946. The 1946 eruption was a particularly violent one and in December 1946 Niuafoou's inhabitants were evacuated and resettled on the island of Eua
'Eua
Eua is a smaller but still major island in the kingdom of Tonga. It is close to Tongatapu, but forms a separate administrative division. It has an area of 87.44 km2, and a population in 2006 of 5,165 people.- Geography :...
. Eua and Niuafoou share many place names, (see list of cities in Tonga) showing where the resettlers went to. The first groups of inhabitants were allowed to return to the island in 1958.
History
According to the myths, Niuafoou originally had a mountain, rather than a lake in the middle. But the mountain was stolen one night and became TafahiTafahi
Tafahi is a small island in the north of the Tonga archipelago, in fact closer to Savaii than the main islands of Tonga. It is only north-northeast away from Niuatoputapu, and fishermen communicate in small outboard motorboats almost daily between the two.Other names for Tafahi are Cocos Eylant ...
.
Niuafoou was put on the European maps by Willem Schouten
Willem Schouten
Willem Cornelisz Schouten was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean.- Biography :Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born in c...
and Jacob Le Maire
Jacob Le Maire
Jacob Le Maire was a Dutch mariner who circumnavigated the earth in 1615-16. The strait between Tierra del Fuego and Isla de los Estados was named the Le Maire Strait in his honor, though not without controversy...
during their famous circumnavigation of the globe in 1616. After their not so successful encounter with the islanders of Niuatoputapu
Niuatoputapu
For the 2009 tsunami, see the main article: 2009 Samoa tsunami.Niuatoputapu is an island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its name means sacred island. Older European names for the island are Traitors island or Keppel island.Niuatoputapu is located in the north of the country,...
, they approached this island with some more hope to find refreshments, so it was called Goede Hoop island. They found black cliffs, green on top, plenty of coconut trees, some houses along the seaside and a whole village near a landing place. But the ship the Eendracht (Unity) could not anchor and they had to limit themselves with some trade with the Indians who came along in their swift canoes. That went on fine for a short while. But when the islanders tried to get away with the small sounding boat, the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
had to use fire force again. After this they proceeded with their trip to the west, but veering towards the north and so happened to reach Futuna
Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna
Futuna is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna. It is one of the Hoorn Islands or Îles Horne, nearby Alofi being the other...
and Alofi
Alofi Island
Alofi is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna...
.
Between 1946 and 1947, the island was completely evacuated by the Tongan government following a volcanic eruption. In 1957 about half of the population returned to Niuafo'ou, and the rest remained in 'Eua.
In January 2002, the island was devastated by Cyclone Waka which destroyed hundreds of homes and killed one person.
See also
- List of volcanoes in Tonga
- Niuafo'ou languageNiuafo'ou languageNiuafoouan is the language spoken on Tonga's northernmost island, Niuafoou.Niuafoouan has traditionally been classified as closest to Uvean and Tokelauan, in an East Uvean–Niuafo'ou branch. Others suggest that it is closest to its neighbor, Tongan, as one of the Tongic languages...
- France–Tonga Delimitation Convention