Vanatinai Island (also called Tagula and Sudest, for the names of the extreme capes of the island) is a volcanic island in the south-east of the Louisiade Archipelago within Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The reef-fringed island is approximately 360 kilometres (224 miles) south-east of New Guinea and 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Misima. With an area of 830 square kilometres (320.5 square miles), it is the largest island of the archipelago. Tagula town, the main settlement, is located on the north-west coast. The population was 3628 as of 2014^[update]. The principal export is copra.

Vanatinai Island

Nickname: Sudest Island / Tagula Island
Tagula Island as seen from space. Yeina Island is also visible to the north (top).
Vanatinai Island
Geography
Location	Oceania
Coordinates	11°30′S 153°26′E[1]
Archipelago	Louisiade Archipelago
Adjacent to	Solomon Sea
Total islands	1
Major islands	Tagula Island
Area	830 km2 (320 sq mi)
Length	63 km (39.1 mi)
Width	13 km (8.1 mi)
Highest elevation	806 m (2644 ft)
Highest point	Mount Riu
Administration
Papua New Guinea
Province	Milne Bay
District	Samarai-Murua District
LLG[2]	Yaleyamba Rural Local Level Government Area
Island Group	Vanatinai Islands
Largest settlement	Rambuso (pop. ~500)
Demographics
Population	3628 (2014)
Pop. density	4.37/km2 (11.32/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Papauans, Austronesians, Melanesians.
Additional information
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
ISO code	PG-MBA
Official website	www.ncdc.gov.pg

Geography

The island is 63 kilometres (39 miles) long, stretching from Cape Tagula to Cape Sudest, and up to 13 km (8.1 miles) wide. A wooded mountain range runs through the length of the island, with the summit, Mount Riu (806 metres or 2,644 feet) near the center. The most important peaks of the range are, from west to east:

• Mount Madau (269 metres or 883 feet)
• Mount Gangulua (439 metres or 1,440 feet)
• Mount Riu (formerly called Mount Rattlesnake) (806 metres or 2,644 feet)
• Mount Imau (485 metres or 1,591 feet)
• Mount Arumbi (350 metres or 1,150 feet)

Climate

Most of Tagula island has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) but the main settlement of Tagula, located in the northernmost and driest part of the island, has a tropical monsoon climate (Am).

History

The first recorded sighting by Europeans of Vanatinai Island was by the Spanish expedition of Luís Vaez de Torres on 14 July 1606.[4][5][6]

The island was the site of a gold rush that began in 1888 and peaked in 1889. Gold was found in nearly all of the island's water courses.[7]

Rambuso Village is located on the north coast of the eastern part of the island, where Rambuso Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean. Entry through the reef to the harbour is deep and easy to see during daylight. Many visiting yachts and local trading boats use this protected anchorage. In 2010 the villagers and several visiting yachties rebuilt the wharf and causeway. The villagers new slogan is "Rambuso Creek the gateway to Sudest". The new wharf helped Rambuso develop and now the busy town has some 500 citizens.

Transportation

The island has an airport, code (IATA-Code „TGL“) for public transport, near Tagula village.

Biodiversity

Several species are endemic to the island, including the aptly named Tagula white-eye, Tagula honeyeater and Tagula butcherbird. Among frogs, Cophixalus tagulensis is only known from Tagula.[8]

References

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[de] Vanatinai

[fr] Tagula Island

[it] Tagula

[ru] Ванатинаи