|
Where is Vanautu?
Click on map to enlarge.
Erromango: The Island of Mangos
Named "Martyrs' Island" by Presbytarian Missionaries at the beginning of the 19th Century, Erromango never quite lost its reputation as a dangerous destination. The sandalwood trade began shortly after the arrival of the famous explorer/trader Peter Dillon. As the wood was relatively inexpensive, it was exploited quickly, and nearly depleted in only fifty years time.
Erromango was subsequently one of the frequent stops for the "Blackbirders" who captured islanders for work on plantations overseas. Epidemics and disease followed contact with Europeans, which meant tragic depopulation on the island.
Kauri and other tropical hardwoods are still being exploited by some Malyasian logging companies, but local communities have been quite effective in their resistance to the unsustainable logging practices. They are well aware of the implications on their lives, environment and livelihoods if their forests disappear.
Tanna:
The Special Blend is 3 miles away from the Volcano.....A Jimmy Buffett song comes to mind. Here is some info on the Volcano:
Mount Yasur is an active volcano on Tanna Island, Vanuatu (lat/long 19.52 S, 169.43 E) with a height of 361 m above sea level, located on the coast near Sulphur Bay. It has a largely unvegetated pyroclastic cone with a nearly-circular summit crater 400 m in diameter. It is a stratovolcano, caused by the eastward-moving Indo-Australian Plate being subducted under the westward-moving Pacific Plate. It has been nearly continuously erupting for centuries, although usually it can be approached safely. Its eruptions, which often occur several times an hour, are classified as Strombolian or Vulcanian.
The glow of the volcano was apparently what attracted Captain James Cook on the first European journey to the island in 1774. Today the mountain is a sacred area for the John Frum cargo cult. The cult reveres John Frum, a deified messenger who foretold the bringing of wealth to the island by American forces, and believe he resides in Mount Yasur with his countrymen. The village of Sulphur Bay, the center of the movement, claims the volcano as part of their territory.
|