Merig Explained

Merig
Settlement Type:Island
Pushpin Map:Vanuatu
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Vanuatu
Coordinates:-14.3167°N 215°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Vanuatu
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Torba Province
Seat Type:Municipality seat
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:0.5
Area Note:[1]
Population Total:12
Population As Of:2009
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:VUT
Utc Offset:+11

Merig is a small island located 200NaN0 east of Gaua, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.

The island is about 800m (2,600feet) wide, and has a circumference of 2.20NaN0.

Name

The name Merig pronounced as /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 pronounced as /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.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Vanuatu . Haos Blong Volkeno . 8 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180808233930/https://haosblongvolkeno.com/en/geographic-location/ . 8 August 2018 . dead .
  2. Sharp, Andrew The discovery of the Pacific Islands Oxford, 1960, p.65.
  3. Book: Sidney Herbert Ray. A Comparative Study of the Melanesian Island Languages. 29 May 2014. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-107-68202-3. 427–.
  4. Web site: 2009 National Census of Population and Housing: Summary Release. Vanuatu National Statistics Office. 2009. October 11, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101210083034/http://www.spc.int/prism/country/vu/stats/Publications/2009%20Census%20Summary%20release%20final.pdf. December 10, 2010.
  5. Web site: 2020. 2020 National Population and Housing Census. Vanuatu National Statistics Office. September 11, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240911100412/https://vnso.gov.vu/sites/default/files/2020NPHC_Volume_1_-_Version_2.pdf. September 11, 2024.
  6. .