Lifou

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title: "Lifou" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["communes-of-new-caledonia", "loyalty-islands"] topic_path: "general/communes-of-new-caledonia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifou" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox French commune"]

Field	Value
name	Lifou
commune status	Commune
image	Lifou falaises Xodre.JPG
caption	The cliffs of Xodre in Lifou
province	Loyalty Islands Province
(provincial seat)
map size	270px
adjustable map	Locator map of Lifou 2018.png
map caption	Location of the commune (in red) within New Caledonia
INSEE	98814
postal code	98820
mayor	Neko Hnepeune
term	2023–2026
coordinates
elevation m	30
elevation min m	0
elevation max m	104
area km2	1207.1
population	9195
population date	2019 census
population footnotes
ethnic	Kanaks 94.39%
Europeans 2.66%
Wallisians and Futunans 0.09%
Mixed 1.73%
Other 1.13%
ethnic date	2019 census
::

::callout[type=note] the commune ::

Geography

Lifou is made up of Lifou Island, the largest and most heavily populated of the Loyalty Islands, its smaller neighbour Tiga Island, and several uninhabited islets in between these two. All these islands lie among the Loyalty Islands, 190 km northeast of New Caledonia's mainland. At 1146 km2, Lifou Island is the largest atoll in the world.

The town of Wé, on Lifou Island, is the administrative centre of the commune of Lifou as well as the provincial seat of the Loyalty Islands Province.

Climate

Lifou has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification: Af) that closely borders a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification: Am). The average annual temperature in Lifou is 23.4 C. The average annual rainfall is 1579.0 mm with March as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in February, at around 26.6 C, and lowest in August, at around 20.1 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Lifou was 34.6 C on 7 February 2016; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 4.4 C on 27 July 1985. |location = Lifou (Ouanaham, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1960−present) |single line = Y |metric first = Y |Jan record high C = 33.3 |Feb record high C = 34.6 |Mar record high C = 32.1 |Apr record high C = 31.9 |May record high C = 30.3 |Jun record high C = 29.5 |Jul record high C = 30.0 |Aug record high C = 28.9 |Sep record high C = 30.6 |Oct record high C = 30.3 |Nov record high C = 32.2 |Dec record high C = 32.8 |Jan record low C = 11.0 |Feb record low C = 14.1 |Mar record low C = 13.6 |Apr record low C = 10.9 |May record low C = 7.4 |Jun record low C = 5.5 |Jul record low C = 4.4 |Aug record low C = 4.5 |Sep record low C = 5.5 |Oct record low C = 7.0 |Nov record low C = 8.5 |Dec record low C = 10.0 |Jan high C = 29.6 |Feb high C = 30.0 |Mar high C = 29.3 |Apr high C = 28.1 |May high C = 26.3 |Jun high C = 25.0 |Jul high C = 24.3 |Aug high C = 24.4 |Sep high C = 25.4 |Oct high C = 26.6 |Nov high C = 27.7 |Dec high C = 28.9 |year high C = 27.1 |Jan mean C = 26.2 |Feb mean C = 26.6 |Mar mean C = 26.2 |Apr mean C = 24.9 |May mean C = 22.7 |Jun mean C = 21.4 |Jul mean C = 20.1 |Aug mean C = 20.0 |Sep mean C = 21.0 |Oct mean C = 22.5 |Nov mean C = 23.9 |Dec mean C = 25.3 |year mean C = 23.4 |Jan low C = 22.8 |Feb low C = 23.3 |Mar low C = 23.1 |Apr low C = 21.7 |May low C = 19.1 |Jun low C = 17.7 |Jul low C = 15.9 |Aug low C = 15.7 |Sep low C = 16.6 |Oct low C = 18.5 |Nov low C = 20.0 |Dec low C = 21.6 |year low C = 19.7 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 174.2 |Feb precipitation mm = 194.9 |Mar precipitation mm = 242.4 |Apr precipitation mm = 185.2 |May precipitation mm = 144.8 |Jun precipitation mm = 127.8 |Jul precipitation mm = 88.2 |Aug precipitation mm = 70.8 |Sep precipitation mm = 70.4 |Oct precipitation mm = 66.6 |Nov precipitation mm = 75.9 |Dec precipitation mm = 137.8 |year precipitation mm = 1579.0 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 12.1 |Feb precipitation days = 13.0 |Mar precipitation days = 15.4 |Apr precipitation days = 11.9 |May precipitation days = 11.7 |Jun precipitation days = 9.5 |Jul precipitation days = 8.0 |Aug precipitation days = 6.5 |Sep precipitation days = 6.2 |Oct precipitation days = 7.0 |Nov precipitation days = 7.4 |Dec precipitation days = 10.1 |year precipitation days = 118.8 |Jan sun = 223.4 |Feb sun = 186.8 |Mar sun = 194.0 |Apr sun = 194.6 |May sun = 178.3 |Jun sun = 151.4 |Jul sun = 180.0 |Aug sun = 194.5 |Sep sun = 208.7 |Oct sun = 236.1 |Nov sun = 230.1 |Dec sun = 233.8 |year sun = 2411.5 |source 1 = Météo-France{{cite web | url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_98814001.pdf | title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records | language = fr | publisher = Météo-France | access-date = August 26, 2022}} |source 2 = Service de la météorologie de la Nouvelle-Calédonie{{cite web | url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_98814001.pdf | title=Climate of Poindimié 1981-2010 | language = fr | publisher = Météo-France | access-date = April 8, 2022}}

Geology

Like Maré and Ouvéa, the other Loyalty islands, Lifou is made of fossil coral. Lifou is a makatea (raised coral atoll), an ancient lagoon slowly raised by geological processes. Due to the uplift, Lifou consists of a wide, flat centre surrounded by cliffs which correspond to the ancient reefal cliffs. The coral rock exhibits high porosity and hence, neither Lifou nor any of the other Loyalty Islands have surface water. It does, however, have a large freshwater reservoir which can be accessed through caves. These caves were used in the past when searching for fresh water, and are very important to the island's mythology.

History

Economic

The first Europeans to have contact with Lifouans were whalers, who had very limited, and certainly not friendly, communications with them. Sandalwood traders also came to New Caledonia around 1841.

Religious

By the mid-19th century, there were Anglican missionaries at work on Lifou, although there had been natives and Polynesian immigrants doing religious work before then. In 1843, French Catholic missionaries arrived on Lifou; shortly afterward, the Anglicans and Catholics became involved in a religious war that lasted until the French takeover of Lifou in 1864. The missionaries even established a school on Lifou Island, and from 1840 to the early 20th century taught most of the population to read. In 1866, St. Anne Chapel was built in Inagoj. In recent years Lifouans have been referred to as "devout Christians."

Economy

Tourism

Lifou is a popular cruise port, with many cruises coming from Australia. The most common port-of-call is Easo; the ships anchor just off the island and tender passengers ashore, being too large for the wharf there. Lifou is known for its snorkeling.{{citation|last=Maley|first=Jacqueline|title=Sail Away, Sail Away |url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/sail-away-sail-away-20081113-64qy.html?page=-1|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=2008-10-01|access-date=2009-08-07}}

Farming

The Lifouans grow several crops, including yams, taro, and bananas; they also produce copra.

Notable residents

Christian Karembeu, a French footballer who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with the French National side, is from Lifou.{{citation|last=Maddaford|first=Terry|title=Passion burns deeply for French star |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/a-league-soccer/news/article.cfm?c_id=523&objectid=10546437|publisher=The New Zealand Herald|date=2008-12-04|access-date=2009-07-24}}
Rosine Streeter, trade unionist, was born on Lifou.

Images of Lifou

File:lifou island.jpg | File:Loyalty islands Lifou map.png |

File:Corail Lifou.JPG|

References

(16 April 2024). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
[https://www.isee.nc/component/phocadownload/category/193-recensement?download=1979:rp-2019-population-logement-menages-communes Population, ménages et logement par commune, en 2019], Institut de la statistique et des études économiques Nouvelle-Calédonie
Murray, Lorraine. (2009). "Lifou Island". [[Encyclopædia Britannica]].
Calder, Joshua. (2003-12-14). "Island Misinformation".
(1888). "Australasia". E. Stanford.
Lenwood, Frank. (1917). "Pastels from the Pacific". [[Oxford University Press]].
Woodward, Henry. (1899). "Geological Magazine". [[Cambridge University Press]].
Parrott-Sheffer, Chelsey. (2009). "New Caledonia: French Overseas Country, Pacific Ocean". [[Encyclopædia Britannica]].
McFarlane, Samuel. (1873). "The Story of the Lifu Mission". James Nisbet & Co..
Keesing, Roger. (1988). "Melanesian Pidgin and the Oceanic Substrate". [[Stanford University Press]].
Garrett, John. (1982). "To live among the stars: Christian origins in Oceania". [[University of the South Pacific]].
Stanley, David. (2004). "South Pacific". Moon Handbooks.
Douglas, Bronwen. (1998). "Across the Great Divide: Journeys in History and Anthropology". Taylor & Francis.
Fleming, Donna. (2008-09-10). "Lifou: Dropping in on paradise". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
McKinnon, Ian. (2008-10-01). "Lifou - a little island treasure". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
(2017-07-27). "Rosine Streeter". Pacific Community.

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