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The Isle of Pines (French: Île des Pins; name in Kanak language Kwênyii: Kunyié) is an island in the Pacific Ocean, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of L'Île-des-Pins, in the South Province of New Caledonia. The Isle of Pines is nicknamed l'île la plus proche du paradis ("the closest island to Paradise").

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Isle of Pines

Native name: Île des Pins Kunyié Nickname: l'île la plus proche du paradis
Ile Bayonnaise,[1] Isle of Pines, New Caledonia
Location southeast of Grande Terre
Geography
Archipelago	New Caledonia
Length	15 km (9.3 mi)
Width	13 km (8.1 mi)
Highest elevation	262 m (860 ft)
Highest point	pic Nga
Administration
France

The island is around 22°37′S 167°29′E and measures 15 km (9.3 mi) by 13 km (8.1 mi). It lies southeast of Grande Terre, New Caledonia's main island, and is 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of the capital Nouméa. There is one airport (code ILP) with a 1,097 m (3,599 ft) runway. The Isle of Pines is surrounded by the New Caledonia Barrier Reef.

The inhabitants of the island are mainly native Melanesian Kanaks, and the population is 2,000 (estimated 2006) (1989 population 1,465).

The island is rich with animal life and is home to unusual creatures such as the crested gecko Correlophus ciliatus and the world's largest gecko Rhacodactylus leachianus.

The pic Nga is the island's highest point, at 262 metres (860 ft) elevation. River Ouro is the longest river.

History

Melanesian people lived on the island for over 2000 years before the island was first visited by Europeans. Captain James Cook in 1774 saw the island and renamed it on his second voyage to New Zealand. Cook gave the island its name after seeing the tall native pines (Araucaria columnaris). He never disembarked onto the island, but as he saw signs of inhabitance (smoke) assumed it was inhabited. In the 1840s Protestant and Catholic missionaries arrived, along with merchants seeking sandalwood.

The French took possession of the island in 1853 at which time the native Kunies opted for the Catholic religion. In 1872 the island became a French penal colony, home to 3,000 political deportees from the Paris Commune.

Sights

The ruins of a penal colony can be seen in the village of Ouro in the west of the island. The water tower of Ouro which was built by prisoners in 1874/75 and renovated in 2005 is still used.

At the cemetery Cimetière des Déportés near Ouro is a pyramid-shaped memorial and the graves of 300 deportees who died between 1872 and 1880.

References

External links

• (in English) www.isle-of-pines.com General and tourist information about the Isle of Pines
• Audio interview with Isle of Pines resident about life on the Isle of Pines
• Jane's Isle of Pines Page Archived 2019-11-11 at the Wayback Machine
• Isle of Pines photos

Île des Pins travel guide from Wikivoyage

На других языках

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[de] Île des Pins

Die Île des Pins (deutsch Pinieninsel; Kanak Kunyié) ist eine Insel, die zum französischen Überseegebiet Neukaledonien gehört.

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- [en] Isle of Pines (New Caledonia)

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[es] Isla de Los Pinos

La Isla de Los Pinos (en francés: Île des Pins), también llamada la "isla más cercana al paraíso" ( l'île la plus proche du paradis), es una isla de 152,3 km² al sureste de Nueva Caledonia, que los canacos llaman Kunié.

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[it] Isola dei Pini

L'isola dei Pini (in francese île des Pins; in kanak Kunyié) è un'isola dell'oceano Pacifico, appartenente all'arcipelago della Nuova Caledonia, territorio d'oltremare della Francia.

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[ru] Пен (остров)

Пен (фр. Île des Pins, на языке канаков Kunyié) — остров в Тихом океане недалеко от острова Гранд-Тер. Входит в состав заморской территории Франции Новая Каледония. Административно является частью коммуны (муниципалитета) Остров Пен Южной провинции.

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