Tikopia
12°18′S 168°50′E
Tikopia is a volcanic island in Temotu Province, in the independent nation of Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean. Although most of Solomon Islands is Melanesian, Tikopia is culturally Polynesian. Its remoteness has enabled much of its culture to persist.
Terrain
12°18′S 168°50′E
Overview
Tikopia is a volcanic island in Temotu Province, in the independent nation of Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean. Although most of Solomon Islands is Melanesian, Tikopia is culturally Polynesian. Its remoteness has enabled much of its culture to persist. One overview calls it "arguably the most thoroughly documented small-scale society in the ethnographic record". Tikopia played a significant role in solving the mystery of the Lapérouse expedition, which had disappeared in 1788. The Calcutta Government Gazette wrote in 1828, "It is a curious fact that the discovery of the wreck of LaPerouse's ships arose out of a massacre at the Fejee Islands, in 1813". Survivors from this massacre were put ashore at the nearest landfall, which turned out to be Tikopia, and thus began a chain of events which resulted in this tiny island becoming a recognised name around the world.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Chart
Nearest islands
- Teanu215 km
- Vanikoro217 km
- Banie226 km
- Utupua276 km
- Temotu Noi344 km
- Lomlom353 km
Also in Santa Cruz Islands
Nendö
523 km²▲ 555 m
Major islands
Banie
177 km²▲ 923 m
Major islands
Vanikoro
173 km²
Major islands

Utupua
64 km²▲ 378 m
Minor islands
Teanu
19.7 km²▲ 505 m
Minor islands
Temotu Noi
18.6 km²▲ 140 m
Minor islands
Tomotu Neo
14.5 km²▲ 94 m
Minor islands
Lomlom
13 km²▲ 47 m
Minor islands
Also in Solomon Islands

New Guinea
774,566 km²▲ 4,884 m
Major islands

New Britain
35,352 km²▲ 2,334 m
Minor islands

Viti Levu
10,637 km²▲ 1,324 m
Minor islands

Bougainville Island
8,695 km²▲ 2,712 m
Minor islands

New Ireland
7,010 km²▲ 2,340 m
Minor islands

Vanua Levu
5,690 km²▲ 1,032 m
Minor islands
Guadalcanal
5,360 km²▲ 2,335 m
Minor islands

Espiritu Santo
3,940 km²▲ 1,879 m
Minor islands
Photographs
NASA astronaut image of Tikopia Island, Solomon Islands, Pacific Ocean

Vue de L'ile Tikopia.

Figure 23. Boy of Tikopia, October 20, 1972
Sources
Facts
Photographs
- Tikopia ISS002. Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center / Public domain
- Vue de L'ile Tikopia (NYPL b13624459-1266943). J. Tastu / Public domain
- Boy of Tikopia, October 20, 1972. Uncredited photograph / Public domain