Leikitah

Leikitah ( English: /ˈleɪˌkiːtɑː/ LAY-KEE-tah), officially the Republic of Leikitah, is an island country situated in the South Pacific Ocean. The country is located in the Melanesia subregion, northeast of Australia, southeast of Papua New Guinea, south of the Solomon Islands, northwest of New Caledonia and west of Vanuatu. Leikitah has an area of 12,556 km2 (4,848 sq mi) with its capital and largest city being Tebariko.

Modern-day Leikitah is believed to have been settled around 4,000 years ago by the Austronesian peoples. The archipelago was discovered by Pedro Fernandes de Queirós during his expedition in 1606. Queirós claimed the archipelago and named it Islas de Cristo (Islands of Christ) upon arrival.

The islands were then claimed by the United Kingdom in 1889, and was declared a protectorate of the British Empire. After being under British rule for over 80 years, Leikitah was confederated on 1 August, 1970 as per the outcome of a constitutional referendum. Currently, Leikitah is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Pacific Islands Forum and the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Etymology
Though it is not known for certain where the country's name originates from, it is believed to have derived from the word of leike ("mountain" or "hill"; originating from lei, meaning "top"), which occurs in the native Leikituan language. It is also believed that the country's name was chosen to refer to the mountainous geography of Leikitah.

Prehistory
It is widely believed, due to archaeological evidence, that the archipelago had been first inhabited by the Austronesian peoples around 4,000 years ago. Despite this, some sources have claimed that they first settled as early as 5,000 years ago to as late as 2,500 years ago.

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Geography
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Government
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Economy
Main article: Economy of Leikitah

With a nominal GDP of $806 million and a per capita of $2,200 as of 2022, the economy of Leikitah is mostly dependant on agriculture and tourism which accounts for almost 60% of it, and are considered to be the two mainstays of the Leikituan economy. Many manufactured goods are imported into the country.

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Demographics
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Culture
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