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Archipelago

    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.

    NASA astronaut image of Tikopia Island, Solomon Islands, Pacific Ocean
    NASA astronaut image of Tikopia Island, Solomon Islands, Pacific Ocean

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center / Public domain

    Terrain

    12°18′S 168°50′E

    Terrain exaggerated for relief. Drag to look around.

    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

    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

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Talus
    • Wikidata
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs