Ringgold Isles
Enlargeable, detailed map of Vanua Levu with the Ringgold Isles on the extreme right | |
Ringgold Isles | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | South Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°30′10″S 179°41′20″W / 16.50278°S 179.68889°W |
| Total islands | ca. 15 |
| Major islands | Qelelevu, Yanuca |
| Administration | |
| Division | Eastern Division |
| Province | Cakaudrove |
| Tikina | Wainikeli |
| Largest settlement | Nalutu |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) |
|
The Ringgold Isles are an archipelago in Fiji, forming an outlier group to Vanua Levu. In 1840, Admiral Charles Wilkes named the Isles after Admiral Cadwalader Ringgold who at the time was a lieutenant serving under him during the United States exploring expedition. The Budd, Nukusemanu, and Heemskercq Reefs form part of the group. The group is mostly uninhabited, but Qelelevu has a small village. In 2008 Pacific rats were eradicated from seven islands of the group in an endeavour facilitated by BirdLife International's Fiji Programme.
A 218-hectare (540-acre) area covering the archipelago is the Ringgold Islands Important Bird Area. This area supports globally and regionally significant populations of marine turtles, humpback whales, seabirds and semi-nomadic reef fish, and may hold concentrations of cold-water corals.