- Emae
Emae (coordinates coord|17|4|S|168|24|E) is an island in the
Shepherds Islands , Shefa,Vanuatu .Maunga Lasi is the highest peak in the archipelago, at 644 m. It forms the northern rim of the (mostly) underwater volcano of Makura, which also covers the nearby islands of Makura andMataso . It is 10 km long and up to 5 km wide, with an area of 32 square kilometers.The island supports a population of about 750, growing at 3.1% per year. The principal economic activity is
subsistence agriculture . TheGDP of the island is $457 per capita.Unlike the surrounding islands populated by
Melanesian s, it is aPolynesian outlier . The island's language, also called Emae, is in theFutunic language family, which includes most of the outliers. North Efate, one of the other languages of the archipelago, is used as a second language.The island has an airport,
Siwo Airport (IATA code: EAE). The nearbyCook Reef is a popular dive site.Many of the islanders now live in
Port Vila . The crowning of four Emae chiefs in 2004 occurred there, and many of the tribal chiefs live there. [http://www.news.vu/en/living/culture/041109-four-new-emae-chiefs-crowned.shtml]External links
* [http://islands.unep.ch/ILT.htm#1301 UN Earthwatch Island site]
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mmw Ethnologue page for Emae]
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