Torba (or TorBa) is the northernmost and least populous province of Vanuatu.
It consists of the Banks Islands and the Torres Islands. It has an area of 882 square kilometres (341 square miles). Its capital is Sola on Vanua Lava.
The province's name is derived from the initial letters of TORres and BAnks.
Contents
Administrative divisions
Torba Province are subdivided into nine area councils, which are further subdivided into populated places (i.e. villages, communities, etc.). These area councils are, in geographical order (from NW to SE):
Torres Area Council
Ureparapara Area Council
Motalava Area Council
East Vanualava Area Council
West Vanualava Area Council
Mota Area Council
East Gaua Area Council
West Gaua Area Council
Merelava-Merig Area Council
Islands
These are the main islands of Torba Province, excluding smaller and uninhabited islets.
Banks Islands
Torres Islands
Population
The province had a population of 9,359 in 2009, 10,161 in 2016, and 11,002 in 2020.
Languages
The Torba province has seventeen languages, which are all Oceanic. 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. 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.