13°45′S 167°30′E / 13.750°S 167.500°E
Torba (or TorBa) is the northernmost and least populous province of Vanuatu. It consists of the Banks Islands and the Torres Islands.
The province's name is derived from the initial letters of "TORres" and "BAnks".
The province has a population of 9,359[1] and an area of 882 square kilometres (341 square miles). Its capital is Sola on Vanua Lava.
These are the main islands of Torba Province, excluding smaller and uninhabited islets.
| Name | Population | Area in km2 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaua | 2,491 | 342 |
| Kwakéa | 26 | 1.2 |
| Merelava | 647 | 18 |
| Merig | 12 | 0.5 |
| Mota | 683 | 9.5 |
| Motalava | 1,451 | 24 |
| Ra | 189 | 0.5 |
| Ureparapara | 437 | 39 |
| Vanua Lava | 2,597 | 314 |
| Name | Population | Area in km2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hiw | 269 | 51 |
| Linua | 0 | 2.5 |
| Lo | 210 | 11.9 |
| Metoma | 13 | 3 |
| Tegua | 58 | 30.8 |
| Toga | 276 | 18.8 |
|
Main article: Torres–Banks languages |
The Torba province has seventeen languages, which are all Oceanic.[2][3] From north to south, they are: Hiw, Lo-Toga, Lehali, Löyöp, Volow, Mwotlap, Lemerig, Vera'a, Vurës, Mwesen, Mota, Nume, Dorig, Koro, Olrat, Lakon, and Mwerlap.[4] With an average of 550 speakers per language, Torba is one of the most linguistically dense areas of Vanuatu, which is itself the country with the highest density of languages per capita in the world.
