Merig

Merig
Merig
Island
	Location of Merig in Banks Islands
	Merig Location in Vanuatu
	Coordinates: 14°19′S 167°48′E / 14.317°S 167.800°E
Country	Vanuatu
Province	Torba Province
Area
• Total	0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
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

^ "Vanuatu". Haos Blong Volkeno. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
^ Sharp, Andrew The discovery of the Pacific Islands Oxford, 1960, p.65.
^ 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.
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ Languages of the Banks & Torres Islands.

External links

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

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[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.

[Ray2014-3] 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.

[c2020-5] "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.

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