[1] Maewo is covered with dense vegetation: tropical forests in which banyan trees grow.

The name Maewo is thought to have come from Mota, Raga, or Ambae as an attempt to transcribe the pronunciation [ŋ͡mʷaewo].

[2] Other names for the island include Mwerlap N̄wēw [ŋʷɪw] and Mwotlap Am̄ew [aŋ͡mʷɛw] (with the locative prefix a-).

First recorded sighting of Maewo Island by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós at the end of April 1606.

The largest of these waterfalls is a series of cascades located near Maewo-Naone Airport on the north end of the island near the village of Naone.