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 Mouli Beach on Ouvéa | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 20°39′8″S166°33′43″E / 20.65222°S 166.56194°E /-20.65222; 166.56194 |
| Archipelago | Loyalty Islands |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Sui generis collectivity | New Caledonia |
| Commune | Ouvéa |
Ouvéa Island orUvea Island is one of theLoyalty Islands, in thearchipelago ofNew Caledonia, an overseas territory ofFrance in thePacific Ocean.[1] The island is part of thecommune (municipality) ofOuvéa, in theLoyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia.
The crescent-shaped island, which belongs to a largeratoll, is 50 km (31 mi) long and 7 km (4.3 mi) wide. It lies north east ofGrande Terre, New Caledonia's mainland.
Ouvéa is aPolynesian outlier originally settled byPolynesian navigators who named it for their home island,Uvea Island. Some of their descendants still speak theWest Uvean language.
Ouvéa is home to around 3,000 people who are organized into tribes divided into Polynesians and Melanesians by ethnic descent. TheIaai language is spoken on the island.
Ouvéa has rich marine resources and is home to many sea turtles, species of fish, coral as well as a native parrot, theUvea parakeet, that can only be found on the island of Ouvéa.
A largecrustacean called thecoconut crab orcrabe de cocotier can also be found on the islands. The large blue crabs live in palm tree plantations and can grow to several kilos in size. They are a land based species and do not venture into the ocean.
Ouvéa is also home to trophybonefish that inhabit the nutrient rich "flats" of the atoll.
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