Pélé Island, sometimes spelled Pele in English,[1][2] is a volcanic island located 11,2 miles north of the island of
Éfaté in the
Shefa Province of the
Republic of Vanuatu.[3][4][5] It has a total area of 1.7 square miles,[6][7] Pélé is inhabited by about 200-220
Ni-Vanuatu villagers[8][9][10] residing in the four villages:
Worsiviu,
Worearu,
Piliura, and
Launamoa.[11][12] Pélé Island is a part of the
MPANguna-Pele Marine Protected Area, which was established in 2003,[13][14] and is a popular Vanuatuan diving location.[15] The Nguna-Pele Marine Protected Area covers a total area of 11.5 sq. mi., including numerous reefs, sea grass beds,
mangrove forests and intertidal lagoons.[16] The Nguna-Pele Marine Protection Agency is located in the village of Piliura, and mounts an exhibition and sells T-shirts. Income from tourism is distributed by the Village Tourism Committee and supports aims as village water supply projects.[17] The island can be visited daily by boat from the Paonangisu area by the town of
Emua on
Éfaté's north coast.[18][19] There are also yachts available both from Emua and
Nguna for day and overnight charters to the island.[20] The island is nearly adjacent to the island of
Nguna, with a small passage no deeper than 33 yards separating the two. It has a tropical climate and has a maximum elevation of 650 feet at its highest.[21] Much of the island is extremely steep and rocks prevent you from walking along the coastline around the island. White sandy beaches are found in Piliura, Worearu, Laonamoa, and Sake. Overpopulation has led to a steady migration from Pele villages to southern
Nguna in recent times.[22][23]
^O’Byrne, Denis and David Harcombe (1999). Vanuatu: Volcanoes, beaches, reefs, land dives. Lonely Planet. Page 130.
ISBN9780864426604.
^Brillat, Michael (1999). South Pacific Islands. Hunter Publishing, Inc. Page 55.
ISBN9783886181049.
^Connell, John and Barbara Rugendyke (2008). Tourism at the Grassroots: Villagers and Visitors in the Asia-Pacific. Routledge. Page 5.
ISBN9781134135424.
^Connell, John and Barbara Rugendyke (2008). Tourism at the Grassroots: Villagers and Visitors in the Asia-Pacific. Routledge. Page 5.
ISBN9781134135424.
^Stanley, David (2004). Moon Handbooks South Pacific. Avalon Travel. Page 922.
ISBN9781566914116.
^O’Byrne, Denis and David Harcombe (1999). Vanuatu: Volcanoes, beaches, reefs, land dives. Lonely Planet. Page 130.
ISBN9780864426604.