| Temotu Province | |
|---|---|
| — Province — | |
| Map of the Temotu province | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Solomon Islands |
| Capital | Lata |
| Government | |
| • Premier | Fr. Charles Brown Beu[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 895 km2 (345.6 sq mi) |
| Population (1999) | |
| • Total | 18,912 |
| • Density | 21.1/km2 (54.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | +11 (UTC+11) |
Temotu is the easternmost province of the Solomon Islands. The province was formerly known as Santa Cruz Islands Province. It consists, essentially, of two chains of islands which run parallel to each other from the northwest to the southeast.
Contents |
The islands or island groups which make up the province are:
The provincial capital is Lata, located on Nendo, the largest and most important of the Santa Cruz islands.
The population of 18,912 (1999) is quite diverse for the small land area encompassed. The Santa Cruz Islanders are predominantly Melanesian, although the inhabitants of Tikopia, Anuta, the Duff Islands and some of the Reef Islands are Polynesians.
The province has given its name to the Temotu languages, a putative linguistic subgroup within the broader Oceanic family of languages.
The languages spoken in the province include all nine Temotu languages proper, plus two Polynesian outlier languages: Vaeakau-Taumako and Tikopia.
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