Vanuatu is an island nation situated in the South Pacific Ocean. Officially,
Vanuatu is known as the Republic of
Vanuatu. The dry land of the
Vanuatu island is located 1750 kilometers to the east of Australia. The other neighboring nations of the
Vanuatu island are New Caledonia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. The traces of the existence of a number of small islands in
Vanuatu can be found in the archaeological evidences of 1300 BC.
The early inhabitants of the
Vanuatu island were the Melanesian people. The Europeans started infiltrating in the
Vanuatu island in the 18th century. Britain and France joined their hands to form a British-French condominium in the
Vanuatu island in 1906. The original inhabitants of the
Vanuatu island started breaking shackles of colonialism in 1970s. The independence movement took shape and the Republic of
Vanuatu was formed in 1980.
Vanuatu is a conglomerate of 83 islands. But of these 83, the two islands - Matthew and Hunter – are claimed simultaneously by the French overseas department of New Caledonia. Few of the islands of
Vanuatu include:
- Malakula - 2041 square kilometers
- Espiritu Santo - 3956 square kilometers
- Erromango - 888 square kilometers
- Efate - 900 square kilometers
- Tanna - 555 square kilometers
- Ambrym - 678 square kilometers
- Epi - 445 square kilometers
- Pentecost - 491 square kilometers
- Vanua Lava - 334 square kilometers
- Ambae or Aoba - 402 square kilometers
- Gaua - 328 square kilometers
- Malo - 180 square kilometers
- Maewo - 304 square kilometers
- Anatom or Aneityum - 159 square kilometers
Maximum number of islands in
Vanuatu are of volcanic origin. The climate is tropical. The rainfall is quite high in the
Vanuatu island. The
Vanuatu rain forests are hot destination spots for the tourists. The ecological balance is well maintained in the
Vanuatu islands that make it a healthy tourist spot.
