Tagula Island

Vanatinai Island
Nickname: Sudest Island / Tagula Island
Tagula Island as seen from space. Yeina Island is also visible to the north (top).
Vanatinai Island is located in Papua New Guinea
Vanatinai Island
Vanatinai Island
Geography
LocationOceania
Coordinates11°30′S 153°26′E / 11.500°S 153.433°E / -11.500; 153.433[1]
ArchipelagoLouisiade Archipelago
Adjacent toSolomon Sea
Total islands1
Major islands
  • Tagula Island
Area830 km2 (320 sq mi)
Length63 km (39.1 mi)
Width13 km (8.1 mi)
Highest elevation806 m (2644 ft)
Highest pointMount Riu
Administration
Province Milne Bay
DistrictSamarai-Murua District
LLG[2]Yaleyamba Rural Local Level Government Area
Island GroupVanatinai Islands
Largest settlementRambuso (pop. ~500)
Demographics
Population3628 (2014)
Pop. density4.37/km2 (11.32/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsPapauans, Austronesians, Melanesians
Additional information
Time zone
ISO codePG-MBA
Official websitewww.ncdc.gov.pg

Vanatinai Island (also called Tagula and Sudest, for the names of the extreme capes of the island) is a volcanic island in the southeast of the Louisiade Archipelago within Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The reef-fringed island is approximately 360 kilometres (224 miles) southeast of New Guinea and 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Misima. With an area of 830 square kilometres (320.5 square miles), it is the largest island of the archipelago. Tagula town, the main settlement, is located on the northwest coast. The population was 3,628 as of 2014. The principal export is copra.