Ouvéa Island

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Ouvéa Island is one of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of Ouvéa, in the Islands Province of New Caledonia.

The Iaai language is spoken on the island.

The crescent-shaped island, which belongs to a larger atoll, is 50 km (30 miles) long and 7 km (4.5 miles) wide. It lies northeast of Grande Terre, New Caledonia's mainland.

Ouvea has rich marine resources and is home to many sea turtles,species of fish, coral as well as a native parrot that can only be found on the island of ouvea. Ouvea is home to around 3,000 people that are organized into tribes divided into polenesian, melanesian and walisian by ethnic descend. A large crustacaen called a "coconut crab" or crabe de cocotier can also be found on the islands. The large crabs live in palm tree plantations and live solely on a diet of coconuts that they crack open with their powerful claws. They are blue in colour and can grow to several kilos in size. They are a land based species and do not venture into the ocean.

Ouvea is also home to trophy Bonefish that inhabit the nutrient rich "flats" of the atoll.