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{{Short description|Island in Vanuatu}}
{{Infobox islands
| name = Gaua
| local_name = Santa Maria
| image_name = Map-Gaua-Vanuatu.png
| image_caption = Map of Gaua
| map_image = Womtelo Map-Banks-Vanuatu 1000.png
| map_caption = 
| native_name = 
| native_name_link =
| location = [[Pacific Ocean]]
| coordinates = {{coord|14|15|54|S|167|31|12|E|region:VU-TOB_type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago = [[Vanuatu]], [[Banks Islands]]
| area_km2 = 330
| highest_mount = [[Mount Gharat]]
| elevation_m = 767
| country = Vanuatu
| country_admin_divisions_title = Province
| country_admin_divisions = [[Torba Province]]
| country_largest_city = Jolap
| population = 2,491
| population_as_of = 2009
| density_km2 = 7.5
| ethnic_groups =
}}

'''Gaua''' {{IPA|bis|gawa|}} (formerly known as ''Santa Maria Island'') is the largest and second most populous of the [[Banks Islands]] in [[Torba Province]] in northern [[Vanuatu]]. It covers {{km2|342}}.

== Geography ==
[[File:Torba in Vanuatu.svg|thumb|180px|left|Location of the [[Torba Province|Torres and Banks Islands]], in the north of Vanuatu. Gaua is the largest island, in the south of that area.]]
Gaua is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones. The climate is humid tropical; the average annual rainfall exceeds 3500&nbsp;mm. It has rugged terrain, reaching up to [[Mount Gharat]] (797&nbsp;m), the peak of the active [[stratovolcano]] which lies at the center of the island. Its most recent eruption was in 2013. The volcano has a 6 × 9&nbsp;km [[caldera]], within which lies a [[Volcanic crater lake|crater lake]], known as [[Lake Letas]], which is the largest lake in Vanuatu. To the east of the lake is [[Siri Waterfall]] (120&nbsp;m drop).

== Natural History ==

=== Geology ===
Gaua's geology is fairly typical of an immature [[volcanic arc|volcanic island arc]]. The oldest part of the island is the southwestern corner, which consists largely of primitive [[Basalt|basalts]] and [[Ankaramite|ankaramites]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beaumais |first=Aurélien |last2=Bertrand |first2=Hervé |last3=Chazot |first3=Gilles |last4=Dosso |first4=Laure |last5=Robin |first5=Claude |date=2016-08-15 |title=Temporal magma source changes at Gaua volcano, Vanuatu island arc |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0377027316300105 |journal=Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research |language=en |volume=322 |pages=30–47 |doi=10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2016.02.026 |via=Elsevier Science Direct|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Most of the island is covered by the Santa Maria Pyroclastic Series, a [[mafic]] [[ignimbrite]] unit that was produced by the eruption that formed the caldera.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Robin |first=Claude |last2=Eissen |first2=Jean‐Philippe |last3=Monzier |first3=Michel |date=1995 |title=Mafic pyroclastic flows at Santa Maria (Gaua) Volcano, Vanuatu: the caldera formation problem in mainly mafic island arc volcanoes |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3121.1995.tb00539.x |journal=Terra Nova |language=en |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=436–443 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-3121.1995.tb00539.x |issn=0954-4879|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Gaua is rare in hosting a mafic ignimbrite, as most similarly [[Explosive eruption|explosive eruptions]] are more [[silicic]]; other examples include [[Masaya Volcano|Masaya]] in [[Nicaragua]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bice |first=David C. |date=1985 |title=Quaternary volcanic stratigraphy of Managua, Nicaragua: Correlation and source assignment for multiple overlapping plinian deposits |url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsabulletin/article/96/4/553-566/190614 |journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin |language=en |volume=96 |issue=4 |pages=553 |doi=10.1130/0016-7606(1985)96<553:QVSOMN>2.0.CO;2 |issn=0016-7606|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and on [[Ambrym]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Robin |first=Claude |last2=Eissen |first2=Jean-Philippe |last3=Monzier |first3=Michel |date=March 1993 |title=Giant tuff cone and 12-km-wide associated caldera at Ambrym Volcano (Vanuatu, New Hebrides Arc) |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/037702739390039T |journal=Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research |language=en |volume=55 |issue=3-4 |pages=225–238 |doi=10.1016/0377-0273(93)90039-T|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and [[Tanna (island)|Tanna]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Robin |first=Claude |last2=Eissen |first2=Jean-Philippe |last3=Monzier |first3=Michel |date=1994-03-01 |title=Ignimbrites of basaltic andesite and andesite compositions from Tanna, New Hebrides Arc |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s004450050013 |journal=Bulletin of Volcanology |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=10–22 |doi=10.1007/s004450050013 |issn=0258-8900|url-access=subscription }}</ref> also in Vanuatu. The eruption of the SMPS was also associated with the activation of [[Ring fault|ring faults]], and the production of [[Parasitic cone|parasitic volcanic cones]] around the upper slopes of the volcano.<ref name=":0" />

=== Wildlife ===
The upper slopes of the island have been recognised as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]], because they support populations of [[Vanuatu megapode]]s, [[Vanuatu imperial pigeon]]s, [[Tanna fruit dove]]s, [[red-bellied fruit dove]]s, [[palm lorikeet]]s, [[cardinal myzomela]]s, [[fan-tailed gerygone]]s, [[long-tailed triller]]s, [[streaked fantail]]s, [[Melanesian flycatcher]]s, [[southern shrikebill]]s, [[Vanuatu white-eye]]s, and [[red-headed parrotfinch]]es. Other animals found there include [[long-tailed fruit bat]]s, [[Vanuatu flying fox]]es, and [[coconut crab]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/gaua-iba-vanuatu|title= Gaua|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 10 February 2021}}</ref>

== Population and languages ==
In 2009, the island had a population of 2,491, and an annual growth rate of 2.0 percent.<ref>
{{cite journal 
| url=http://www.spc.int/prism/country/vu/stats/Publications/2009%20Census%20Summary%20release%20final.pdf 
| title=2009 National Census of Population and Housing: Summary Release
| publisher=Vanuatu National Statistics Office 
| year=2009 
| access-date= November 21, 2010}}</ref> 
The inhabitants are scattered among various coastal villages on the western, southern and northeastern sides of the island. The eastern side has a few hamlets with an immigrant community, the members of which have come from the two smaller islands [[Merig]] and [[Merelava]], that lie southeast of Gaua. The largest village on Gaua is ''Jolap'' {{IPA|lkn|ʧʊlap|}}, on the west coast.<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vanuatu/@-14.2980781,167.4218549,638a,35y,97.59h,51.55t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x6e89605ec8926013:0x348339cfbed0266a!8m2!3d-15.376706!4d166.959158!16zL20vMDd6NW4 Satellite photo of Jolap village].</ref>

In addition to [[Mwerlap]] (the language of the immigrant population), there are five languages traditionally spoken on Gaua: [[Lakon language|Lakon]] (also called Vuré), [[Olrat language|Olrat]], [[Koro language (Vanuatu)|Koro]], [[Dorig language|Dorig]], and [[Nume language|Nume]].

== Economy ==
The livelihood of the people of Gaua is based on the agricultural economy that is traditional throughout of [[Melanesia]]: a combination of fishing and horticulture. 
Their principal exports are [[copra]] and [[Cocoa bean|cacao]].

The island is served by [[Gaua Airport]], which is located in the northeast corner of the island.

==Names==
The modern name ''Gaua'' is pronounced {{IPA|bis|gawa|}} in [[Bislama]], the ''lingua franca'' of Vanuatu, and in [[French language|French]] or [[English language|English]].

In the local [[Torres–Banks languages|Banks languages]], the island was traditionally known not by one name, but two. One name reconstructs in [[Proto-Torres–Banks language|Proto-Torres–Banks]] as a form ''*ɣaua'' {{IPA|mis|ɣaˈua|}}, the other one as ''*laᵑgona''. These respectively referred to the northeast half of the island, and its southwestern half (where one finds ''Lakona Bay'', and also where the [[Lakon language]] is spoken). 

Thus the [[Mota language]], which [[Melanesian Mission|missionaries]] used when naming most places in the [[Banks Islands]], has the forms ''Gaua'' {{IPA|mtt|ɣaua|}} and ''Lakona'' {{IPA|mtt|lakona|}}; [[Olrat language|Olrat]] and [[Lakon language|Lakon]] have ''Gaō'' {{IPA|lkn|ɣaˈʊ|}} and ''Lakon'' {{IPA|lkn|laˈkɔn|}}; and the immigrant language [[Mwerlap language|Mwerlap]] has ''Gō'' {{IPA|mrm|ɣʊ|}} and ''Lakon'' {{IPA|mrm|laˈkɔn|}}. Other [[Torres-Banks languages]] that have reflexes of the two etyma include [[Mwotlap language|Mwotlap]] ''Agō'' {{IPA|mlv|aˈɣʊ|}} and ''Alkon'' {{IPA|mlv|alˈkon|}};<ref>See entries [https://marama.huma-num.fr/Lex/Mwotlap/a.htm#%E2%93%94Ag%C5%8D ''Agō''] and [https://marama.huma-num.fr/Lex/Mwotlap/a.htm#%E2%93%94Alkon ''Alkon''] in the ''Online Mwotlap dictionary''.</ref> and [[Vurës language|Vurës]] ''Gō'' {{IPA|msn|ɣo|}} and ''Lokon'' {{IPA|msn|lɔˈkɔn|}}.

Some modern languages have generalized one of these two etyma to refer to the whole island. Thus it is called ''Gog'' {{IPA|tgs|ɣɔɣ|}} in [[Nume language|Nume]], ''Gō'' {{IPA|krf|ɣʊ|}} in [[Koro language (Vanuatu)|Koro]] (both < ''*ɣaua''), and ''Lkon'' {{IPA|wwo|lkɔn|}} in [[Dorig language|Dorig]] (< ''*laᵑgona''). Other [[Torres-Banks languages]] that have only one reflex of the two etyma include [[Hiw language|Hiw]] and [[Lo-Toga language|Lo-Toga]] ''Gawe'' {{IPA|lht|ˈɣawə|}} (< ''*ɣaua''), [[Vera'a language|Vera'a]] ''Lōkōno'' {{IPA|vra|lʊkʊnɔ|}} (< ''*laᵑgona'') and [[Mwesen language|Mwesen]] ''Gō'' {{IPA|msn|ɣʊ|}} (< ''*ɣaua'').

==History==
Gaua was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of [[Pedro Fernández de Quirós]], from 25 to 29 April 1606. The island’s name was then charted as ''Santa María''.<ref>Kelly, Celsus, O.F.M. ''La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo. The Journal of Fray Martín de Munilla O.F.M. and other documents relating to the Voyage of Pedro Fernández de Quirós to the South Sea (1605-1606) and the Franciscan Missionary Plan (1617-1627)'' Cambridge, 1966, p.39, 62.</ref>

==Gallery==
<div align="center">
<gallery>
File:Mount Gharat and Lake Letas.jpg|[[Mount Gharat]] and [[Lake Letas]]
File:Siri Falls Gaua Vanuatu.jpg|[[Siri Waterfall]]
File:Mbaravit Beach.jpg|Baravit Beach (east coast)
File:Gaua People.jpg|Local people
File:Gaua.jpg|Gaua as seen from space
</gallery>
</div>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Gaua Island}}
*{{cite gvp|vn=257020|name=Gaua}}
*[https://youtube.com/watch?v=gQWIfaMCdGY Our Forest our Future; Managing Biodiversity in the South Pacific, Gaua Island, Vanuatu, Rudolf Hahn, CTA FAO 2013, youtube video]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081205045733/http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/volcanoes/volc_images/australia/vanuatu/gaua.html Volcano World: Gaua]
*[http://alex.francois.free.fr/AF-field.htm Detailed list and map of the Banks and Torres languages, including those of Gaua]

{{Provinces and islands of Vanuatu}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Islands of Vanuatu]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Vanuatu]]
[[Category:Calderas of Oceania]]
[[Category:Volcanic crater lakes]]
[[Category:Torba Province]]
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Vanuatu]]
[[Category:Banks Islands]]