Merig is a small island located east of Gaua, in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.
The island is about wide, and has a circumference of .
Name The name Merig comes from the Mota language. It comes from a Proto-Torres-Banks form *mʷera riɣi "the small boy" via haplology to *mʷeriɣi. It contrasts with Merelava, from *mʷera-i laβa "the big boy". The native term in Mwerlap is N̄wërig , from the same etymon.
History The first recorded sighting of Merig Island by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós on 25 April 1606.Sharp, Andrew The discovery of the Pacific Islands Oxford, 1960, p.65. It was then named Île Sainte Claire.
Population As of 2009, Merig was only inhabited by three households, consisting of 12 individuals. Merig was not listed in Vanuatu's 2020 census.
The inhabitants of Merig speak Mwerlap,Languages of the Banks & Torres Islands. the language of the neighbouring island Merelava.
References
External links