Country Vanuatu Population 26 (2009) | Time zone VUT (UTC+11) Province Torba Province | |
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Kwakéa (or Pakea, or Qakea) is an islet located east of Vanua Lava in the Banks Islands, Vanuatu.
Contents
Map of Kwak%C3%A9a, Vanuatu
The channel that flows between Kwakea and Vanua Lava is known as Dudley Channel.
History
The island was purchased by English settlers, Frank and Alice Whitford, in the mid-1890s from the native title owners from Vanua Lava. The Whitfords created palm plantations before a hurricane wiped out the island on November 25, 1939. The only thing that remains is the Whitford family cemetery.
Name
The spellings Kwakéa (or Kwakea) and Pakea represent two different attempts at transcribing the form [k͡pʷakea], which is the island's name in the language Mota. This form is rendered as Qakea in Mota's orthography.
The same island is known under slightly different names in the vernacular languages of the region. In Mwesen and Vurës, it is called Qeke (IPA: [k͡pʷɛkɛ]); in Mwotlap, it is Aqke (IPA: [ak͡pʷkɛ]).
Population
The island has a population of only 26 according to the 2009 census.