Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is some 1,750 km (1,090 mi) east of northern Australia, 500 km (310 mi) north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands.
Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. Europeans began to settle in the area in the late 18th century. In the 1880s France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the country and in 1906 they agreed a framework for jointly managing the archipelago through a British-French Condominium as the New Hebrides. An independence movement was established in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was created in 1980. Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands, of which two- Matthew and Hunter- are also claimed by the French overseas department of New Caledonia. Of the 83 islands, 14 have surface areas of more than 100 square kilometres (38.6 sq mi). From largest to smallest: Espiritu Santo 3,956 km˛ (1,527 sq mi), Malakula 2,041 km˛ (788 sq mi), Efate (900 km˛/350 mi˛), Erromango (888 km˛/343 mi˛), Ambrym (678 km˛/262 mi˛), Tanna (555 km˛/214 mi˛), Pentecost (491 km˛/190 mi˛), Epi (445 km˛/172 mi˛), Ambae or Aoba (402 km˛/155 mi˛), Vanua Lava (334 km˛/129 mi˛), Gaua (328 km˛/127 mi˛), Maewo (304 km˛/117 mi˛), Malo (180 km˛/70 mi˛), and Anatom or Aneityum (159 km˛/65 mi˛).
Most of the islands are mountainous, of volcanic origin and have a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The nation's largest towns are the capital Port Vila, situated on Efate, and Luganville on Espiritu Santo. The highest point in Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, at 1879 m (6158 ft), on the island of Espiritu Santo. There are several active volcanoes in Vanuatu, including Lopevi, as well as several underwater ones. Volcanic activity is common with an ever-present danger of a major eruption, the last occurred in 1945. Rainfall averages about 2,360 millimetres (93 in) per year but can be as high as 4,000 mm (157 in) in the northern islands.
Vanuatu is recognised as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion, known as the Vanuatu rain forests. It is part of the Australasia ecozone, which includes New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand. |
