Malakula /

Malakula Island (coordinates 16°18′S 167°30′E / 16.30°S 167.50°E / -16.30; 167.50), also spelled Malekula, is the second-largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, in the Pacific Ocean region of Melanesia. Its name, coined by James Cook, is apparently derived from the French mal à cul (literally, pain in the ass) and was inspired by the presence of cannibals, volcanic activity and other unpleasant features of the island at the time of its discovery. It is separated from the islands of Espiritu Santo and Malo by the Bougainville Strait. Lakatoro, capital of Malampa Province, is situated on its eastern shore and is the largest settlement in the island. It has a maximum elevation of 879 m. It is called as Mt. Liambele. In 1768, Bougainville gave his name to the straits which separate Malakula from Santo. According to the latest census information, from 2000, Malakula has a population of over 30,000 inhabitants. There are nearly thirty different languages spoken on the island. The two tribes living are Big Nambas in the North and the Small Nambas in the central part of the southern area, whose names stem from the size of the penis sheath they wear, made out of banana or pandanus