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°ECoordinates: 14°19′S 167°48′E / 14.317°S 167.800°E
Country	Vanuatu
Province	Torba Province
Population (2009)
• Total	12
Time zone	VUT (UTC+11)

Merig is a small island located 20 km east of Gaua, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.

The island is about 800 meters wide, and has a circumference of 2.2 km.

History

The first recorded sighting of Merig Island by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 25 April 1606.^[1] It was then named Île Sainte Claire.^[2]

Population

Merig is only inhabited by one household, consisting of 12 individuals.^[3]

They speak Mwerlap,^[4] the language of the neighbouring island Merelava.

References

1. Sharp, Andrew The discovery of the Pacific Islands Oxford, 1960, p.65.
2. 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.
3. "2009 National Census of Population and Housing: Summary Release" (PDF). Vanuatu National Statistics Office. 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
4. Languages of the Banks & Torres Islands.