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Gaua
EntityQ583383· pop 29· linked from 159 articles

Gaua (formerly known as Santa Maria Island) is the largest and second most populous of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in northern Vanuatu. It covers .

Key facts

Islands.name
Gaua
Islands.local_name
Santa Maria
Islands.image_name
Map-Gaua-Vanuatu.png
Islands.image_caption
Map of Gaua
Islands.map_image
Womtelo Map-Banks-Vanuatu 1000.png
Islands.location
Pacific Ocean
Islands.archipelago
Vanuatu, Banks Islands
Islands.area_km2
330
Islands.highest_mount
Mount Gharat
Islands.elevation_m
767
Islands.country
Vanuatu
Islands.country_admin_divisions_title
Province
Islands.country_admin_divisions
Torba Province
Islands.country_largest_city
Jolap
Islands.population
2,491
Islands.population_as_of
2009
Islands.density_km2
7.5

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Population
2491
Area
328.2
Elevation
455
Image
Mount Gharat from space.jpg
Width
20
Length
21
Show 1 more fact
Commons category
Gaua Island
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~5 min read

Article

11 sections
Contents
  • Geography
  • Natural history
  • Geology
  • Wildlife
  • Population and languages
  • Economy
  • Names
  • History
  • Gallery
  • References
  • External links

Gaua (formerly known as Santa Maria Island) is the largest and second most populous of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in northern Vanuatu. It covers .

== Geography == thumb|180px|left|Location of the Torba Province|Torres and Banks Islands, in the north of Vanuatu. Gaua is the largest island, in the south of that area. Gaua is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones. The climate is humid tropical; the average annual rainfall exceeds 3500 mm. It has rugged terrain, reaching up to Mount Gharat (797 m), the peak of the active stratovolcano which lies at the center of the island. Its most recent eruption was in 2013. The volcano has a 6 × 9 km caldera, within which lies a crater lake, known as Lake Letas, which is the largest lake in Vanuatu. To the east of the lake is Siri Waterfall (120 m drop).

On the map

2 mapped locations

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