Tikopia
NASA picture of Tikopia | |
Tikopia and inset showing position | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 12°17′47.3″S 168°49′55.0″E / 12.296472°S 168.831944°E |
| Archipelago | Solomon Islands |
| Area | 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 380 m (1250 ft) |
| Highest point | Reani |
| Administration | |
| Province | Temotu |
| Demographics | |
| Ethnic groups | Polynesian |
Tikopia is a volcanic island in Temotu Province, in the independent nation of Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean. Although most of Solomon Islands is Melanesian, Tikopia is culturally Polynesian. Its remoteness has enabled much of its culture to persist. One overview calls it "arguably the most thoroughly documented small-scale society in the ethnographic record".
Tikopia played a significant role in solving the mystery of the Lapérouse expedition, which had disappeared in 1788. The Calcutta Government Gazette wrote in 1828, "It is a curious fact that the discovery of the wreck of LaPerouse's ships arose out of a massacre at the Fejee Islands, in 1813". Survivors from this massacre were put ashore at the nearest landfall, which turned out to be Tikopia, and thus began a chain of events which resulted in this tiny island becoming a recognised name around the world.