This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Moso" island – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Moso is an island off the northwest coast ofEfate inVanuatu, inShefa Province. It is separated from Efate byNamoso Passage, which is 200 metres (660 ft) wide at its narrowest point.
Moso | |
---|---|
Coordinates:17°32′S168°15′E / 17.533°S 168.250°E /-17.533; 168.250 | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | Shefa Province |
Area | |
• Total | 25.39 km2 (9.80 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 129 m (423 ft) |
Population (2009) | |
• Total | 237 |
• Density | 9.3/km2 (24/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+11 (VUT) |
Along withLelepa, it creates the harbour at northEfate known asPort Havannah. This harbour was a focal point duringWorld War II, with many troops stationed there, including posts on Moso itself. Today, small tokens of the soldiers' presence can still be seen on Moso.
History
editSeven villages were originally scattered throughout Moso until missionaries facilitated their formation into one coastal village, Sunae. This community was divided in two in the early 1990s and some people split from Sunae, forming Tassirki village on central Moso.
Transport
editThere are no roads or cars on Moso.
Access to the island is viabanana boat from Tanoliu village in North EastEfate.
Tourism
editThe Tasiriki community, in conjunction withWan Smolbag Theatre, is the base for a turtle monitoring programme on northwestern Efate. The project is run throughout Vanuatu with the goal of preserving the endangered turtle species found in the Pacific. The community operates a bungalow that accommodates volunteers who stay for short-term periods assisting the locals with the turtle monitoring programme.
Sunae community is attempting to initiate a small tour business to the eastern part of the island as part of a community development project. This part of the island is where parts ofLes Aventuriers de Koh-Lanta, the French version of theSurvivor TV series, were filmed.
A few luxury homes have been developed and are rented to holiday makers, these homes are off the grid and operate via solar power and rain and well water.
Demographics
editThere are approximately 240ni-Vanuatu inhabitants on Moso,[1] the majority in Tassirki village.
Economy
editFishing,subsistence agriculture and tourism make up the economy of Moso. People most frequently fish from the traditional outrigger canoes both during the day and night.
References
edit- ^2009 Census Summary release final - Government of Vanuatu.Archived 2012-10-05 at theWayback Machine