Melanesian people lived on the island for over 2000 years before the island was first visited by Europeans. Captain James Cook in 1774 saw the island and renamed it on his second voyage to New Zealand. Cook gave the island its name after seeing the tall native pines (Araucaria columnaris). He never disembarked onto the island, but as he saw signs of inhabitance (smoke) assumed it was inhabited. In the 1840s, Protestant and Catholic missionaries arrived, along with merchants seeking sandalwood.
The French took possession of the island in 1853 at which time the native Kunies converted to the Catholic religion. In 1872, the island became a French penal colony, home to 3,000 political deportees from the Paris Commune.
Sightsedit
The ruins of a penal colony can be seen in the village of Ouro in the west of the island. The water tower of Ouro which was built by prisoners in 1874/75 and renovated in 2005 is still used.
At the cemetery Cimetière des Déportés near Ouro is a pyramid-shaped memorial and the graves of 300 deportees who died between 1872 and 1880.
isle, pines, caledonia, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, isle, pines, caledonia, news, newspapers, bo. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Isle of Pines New Caledonia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Isle of Pines French Ile des Pins name in Kanak language Kwenyii Kunyie is an island in the Pacific Ocean in the archipelago of New Caledonia an overseas collectivity of France The island is part of the commune municipality of L Ile des Pins in the South Province of New Caledonia The Isle of Pines is nicknamed l ile la plus proche du paradis the closest island to Paradise Isle of PinesNative name Ile des Pins KunyieNickname l ile la plus proche du paradisIle Bayonnaise 1 Isle of Pines New CaledoniaLocation southeast of Grande TerreGeographyArchipelagoNew CaledoniaLength15 km 9 3 mi Width13 km 8 1 mi Highest elevation262 m 860 ft Highest pointpic NgaAdministrationFranceUpi Bay Isle of Pines New CaledoniaThe island is around 22 37 S 167 29 E 22 617 S 167 483 E 22 617 167 483 and measures 15 km 9 3 mi by 13 km 8 1 mi It lies southeast of Grande Terre New Caledonia s main island and is 100 kilometres 62 mi southeast of the capital Noumea There is one airport code ILP with a 1 097 m 3 599 ft runway The Isle of Pines is surrounded by the New Caledonia Barrier Reef The inhabitants of the island are mainly native Melanesian Kanaks and the population is 2 000 estimated 2006 1989 population 1 465 The island is rich with animal life and is home to unusual creatures such as the crested gecko Correlophus ciliatus and the world s largest gecko Rhacodactylus leachianus The pic Nga is the island s highest point at 262 metres 860 ft elevation River Ouro is the longest river Contents 1 History 2 Sights 3 References 4 External linksHistory edit nbsp 1890 mapMelanesian people lived on the island for over 2000 years before the island was first visited by Europeans Captain James Cook in 1774 saw the island and renamed it on his second voyage to New Zealand Cook gave the island its name after seeing the tall native pines Araucaria columnaris He never disembarked onto the island but as he saw signs of inhabitance smoke assumed it was inhabited In the 1840s Protestant and Catholic missionaries arrived along with merchants seeking sandalwood The French took possession of the island in 1853 at which time the native Kunies converted to the Catholic religion In 1872 the island became a French penal colony home to 3 000 political deportees from the Paris Commune Sights editThe ruins of a penal colony can be seen in the village of Ouro in the west of the island The water tower of Ouro which was built by prisoners in 1874 75 and renovated in 2005 is still used At the cemetery Cimetiere des Deportes near Ouro is a pyramid shaped memorial and the graves of 300 deportees who died between 1872 and 1880 nbsp Ruins of the penal colony in Ouro nbsp Water tower in OuroReferences edit Google Maps locationExternal links edit nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ile des Pins nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ile des Pins in English www isle of pines com General and tourist information about the Isle of Pines Audio interview with Isle of Pines resident about life on the Isle of Pines Jane s Isle of Pines Page Archived 2019 11 11 at the Wayback Machine Isle of Pines photos nbsp Ile des Pins travel guide from Wikivoyage Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Isle of Pines New Caledonia amp oldid 1192221325, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
