WITU ISLANDS

also spelled Vitu, volcanic island group of the Bismarck Archipelago, eastern Papua New Guinea. The islands lie 40 miles (65 km) north of New Britain Island in the Bismarck Sea, southwestern Pacific. The group, with a total land area of 45 square miles (117 square km), includes the main islands Garove (Deslacs; 26 square miles), Unea (Merite; 11 square miles), and Mundua (2 square miles), as well as five smaller islands. Unea is the highest of the islands, rising to 1,935 feet (590 m). Generally forested, the islands produce some copra and cocoa. Pop. (1980 prelim.) 8,599.