Merelava


Merelava is an island in the Banks Islands of the Torba Province of northern Vanuatu.

Geography

Merelava is situated in the southeastern part of the archipelago near Mota and Merig. Merelava has also been known as Star Island. It is located about east of Gaua.
Merelava is a nearly round volcanic island with a diameter of almost 4.5 km and an area of 18 km². It is formed by a basaltic stratovolcano, which reaches in Mount Teu, also called Star Peak, a height of 883 m above the sea level.
The main village is Tesmet on the west coast of the island. Other villages, starting clockwise at Tesmet, are Levetmise, Lekweal, Lewetneak, and Aot.

History

Merelava was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós, from 25 to 29 April 1606. The island's name was then charted as San Marcos.

Population and language

The island has about 650 inhabitants. They all speak an Oceanic language known as Mwerlap.

Names

The inhabitants of Merelava call their own island Mwerlap, phonetically, in the language of the same name.
The name M̄erelava reflects the way it is called in the neighbouring Mota language, phonetically. According to Codrington, the etymology of this name is likely to be *mʷera lava, literally “the big boy”; it contrasts with the neighbouring island M̄erig, from *mʷera riɣi “the small boy”.