SUDEST ISLAND

also called Tagula, volcanic island of the Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. It lies 175 miles (280 km) southeast of the island of New Guinea, in the southwestern Pacific. The largest island of the archipelago, measuring 50 by 15 miles (80 by 24 km), Sudest has a total land area of 310 square miles (800 square km). Surrounded by a coral reef, the rugged island rises to 2,644 feet (806 m) at Mount Rattlesnake. The island exports copra. Pop. (1980 prelim.) 2,117.