Torba | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Torba in Vanuatu | |
| Country |  Vanuatu |
| Capital | Sola |
| Area | |
• Total | 882 km2 (341 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 11,002 |
| • Density | 12.5/km2 (32.3/sq mi) |
Torba (orTorBa) is the northernmost and least populousprovince ofVanuatu.
It consists of theBanks Islands and theTorres Islands. It has an area of 882 square kilometres (341 square miles). Its capital isSola onVanua Lava.
The province's name is derived from the initial letters ofTORres andBAnks.
Torba Province are subdivided into nine area councils, which are further subdivided into populated places (i.e.: villages, communities, etc.). These area councils are, in geographical order (from NW to SE):
These are the main islands of Torba Province, excluding smaller and uninhabited islets.
| Name | Population | Area in km2 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaua | 2,491 | 342 |
| Kwakéa | 26 | 1.2 |
| Merelava | 647 | 18 |
| Merig | 12 | 0.5 |
| Mota | 683 | 9.5 |
| Motalava | 1,451 | 24 |
| Ra | 189 | 0.5 |
| Ureparapara | 437 | 39 |
| Vanua Lava | 2,597 | 314 |
| Name | Population | Area in km2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hiw | 269 | 51 |
| Linua | 0 | 2.5 |
| Lo | 210 | 11.9 |
| Metoma | 13 | 3 |
| Tegua | 58 | 30.8 |
| Toga | 276 | 18.8 |
The province had a population of 9,359 in 2009, 10,161 in 2016, and 11,002 in 2020.[2][3][1]
The Torba province hasseventeen languages, which are allOceanic.[4][5] From north to south, they are:Hiw,Lo-Toga,Lehali,Löyöp,Volow,Mwotlap,Lemerig,Vera'a,Vurës,Mwesen,Mota,Nume,Dorig,Koro,Olrat,Lakon, andMwerlap.[6] With an average of 550 speakers per language, Torba is one of the most linguistically dense areas of Vanuatu, which is itself the country with the highest density of languages per capita in the world.
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