BELEP

'Belep' (sometimes unofficially spelled 'Bélep') is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.
The commune's territory is made up of the Belep Islands (also known as the Belep Archipelago), which lie to the north of New Caledonia's mainland. The two principal islands in the Belep Archipelago are Art Island (aka Aar) and Pott Island (aka Phwoc), and the rest of the archipelago consists of the Northern Daos Islands, the Southern Daos Islands, and several very small islets.
The administrative centre of the commune is the settlement of Waala, on Art Island, the largest of the Belep Islands.

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History

History

The Belep Islands were named after a Kanak chief who settled there in ancient times. A Catholic mission was founded in Belep in 1856. There existed a leper colony on the islands between 1892 and 1898.