Ratua, Vanuatu

Ratua
Island
Ratua

Location in Vanuatu

Coordinates: 15°36′44″S 167°10′52″E / 15.61222°S 167.18111°E / -15.61222; 167.18111Coordinates: 15°36′44″S 167°10′52″E / 15.61222°S 167.18111°E / -15.61222; 167.18111
Country  Vanuatu
Province Sanma Province
Area
  Total 0.59 km2 (0.23 sq mi)
Time zone VUT (UTC+11)
Website Official website

Ratua, situated in the Vanuatu archipelago, is a 146-acre (59 ha) island located south of Espiritu Santo, between Aore and Malo islands.

History

In the early 1900s, during the Anglo-French condominium colony, when the Vanuatu archipelago was originally named New Hebrides until its independence in 1980, the island of Ratua was an uninhabited French coconut plantation where copra was produced.

Geography

The island is a rich sanctuary of flora and fauna, from active volcanoes, waterfalls, caves, reefs inhabited by sea tortoises and bright coral reefs, it is still covered by a plethora of flamboyant coconut and fruit trees.

Resort

In 2005, the island of Ratua became the property of a French nature lover who established a private resort which encapsulates the patrimonial association of nature preservation. The resort has adopted an "eco-friendly" philosophy, offering dynamic natural resources as well as employing local inhabitants of the island in order to grow and sustain their economy.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.