pop (2000e) 22 000; area 1981 km²/765 sq mi. Group of coral islands in the SW Pacific Ocean, 128 km/79 mi E of New Caledonia, comprising Ouvéa, Lifu, Mare, Tiga, and many small islets; dependency of the Territory of New Caledonia; capital, We (Lifu I); coconuts, sandalwood, copra.
They form the Islands Province, one of the three provinces of New Caledonia.The archipelago consists of six inhabited islands: Lifou Island, Maré Island, Tiga Island, Ouvéa Island, Mouli Island, and Faiava Island, as well as several smaller uninhabited islands and islets. The highest elevation is at 138 m (453 ft) above sea-level on Maré Island.
The people of the Loyalty Islands are of mixed Melanesian and Polynesian heritage, with also a small European minority. Several thousands more natives of the Loyalty Islands live in Nouméa (New Caledonia's capital) and in the mining areas of New Caledonia's mainland.
The chief export of the Loyalty Islands is copra.
The islands are part of the New Caledonia rain forests ecoregion.
User Comments Add a comment…