Geography of Vanuatu

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see WP:SDNONE --> {{use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox country geography | name = Vanuatu | map = Satellite_image_of_Vanuatu_in_October_1998.jpg | continent = | region = Pacific Ocean | coordinates = {{Coord|16|00|S|167|00|E|type:country}} | area ranking = 157th | km area = 12,189 | percent land = 100 | km coastline = 2,528 | exclusive economic zone = {{convert|663,251|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} | borders = None | geographic center = | highest point = Mount Tabwemasana <br> {{convert|1877|m}} | lowest point = Pacific Ocean <br> {{convert|0|m}} | longest river = | largest lake = }}

right|260px|Map of Vanuatu

Vanuatu, known as the New Hebrides from 1774 until 1980, is a nation and group of around 80 mountainous islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It is part of Oceania. There are several active volcanoes among the islands, the most well-known one being Mount Yasur on Tanna. It has a tropical rainforest climate, and tropical cyclones occur between December and April. {{as of|2024}} the population is around 318,000. The economy is mainly reliant on subsistence agriculture and tourism.

Vanuatu is party to a number of international agreements relating to the environment.

==Location and description== Vanuatu's geographic coordinates are {{Coord|16|00|S|167|00|E|type:country}}. The archipelago is part of Oceania.<ref name=cia2025>{{cite web| title=The World Factbook | website=CIA | date=1 August 2025 | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/vanuatu/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250802091754/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/vanuatu/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=2 August 2025 | access-date=2 August 2025}}</ref> Its immediate neighbours include the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, and Australia is the closest continent.

It is composed of over 80 islands, of which around 65 are inhabited. It has {{convert|2528|km|mi}} of coastline and a total surface area of {{convert|12189|km2|mi2| abbr=on}}. Due to the spread-out islands, it has the 39th largest exclusive economic zone of {{convert|663,251|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}{{cn|date=August 2025}} (200 nautical miles<ref name=cia2025/>).

== Geology and terrain== A beach on Efate|thumb A stream on Efate|thumb The island arc of Vanuatu occur at the boundary of the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates. The oceanic crust of the latter is pushing eastwards under the former, which leads to volcanic activity and earthquakes, and some parts of the islands are being raised up to {{cvt|2|cm}} per year, exposing raised coral reefs.<ref name=jagopharoah2005/>

Vanuatu is a mountainous archipelago of volcanic origin with narrow coastal plains. The highest of all the mountains is Mount Tabwemasana at {{convert|1877|m|ft}}.<ref name=cia2025/> Active volcanoes include Mount Yasur ({{cvt|361 |m}}) on Tanna, the most active one, as well as potentially active ones such as Aoba, Ambrym, Epi, Gaua, Kuwae (a submarine volcano), Lopevi, Suretamatai, and Traitor's Head. There are also underwater volcanoes.<ref name=cia2025/> Volcanic activity on and around the islands sometimes causes minor earthquakes, and tsunamis are also a hazard.<ref name=cia2025/>

Between 1903 and 1905, one of the first major geological works of the region was produced by Australian geologist Sir Douglas Mawson.<ref name=samsynopsis>{{cite web | title=A synopsis of Mawson's life| publisher= South Australian Museum | website=Douglas Mawson | url=http://www.douglasmawson.com.au/synopsis.html | access-date=31 July 2025}}</ref> After spending from April to September 1903 exploring the islands with W.T. Quaife, Mawson produced a report which included the first geological maps of the island of Efate and of the south-west part of Santo.<ref name=jagopharoah2005>{{cite journal| journal=Earth Sciences History|title=Douglas Mawson's First Major Geological Expedition: The New Hebrides, 1903| url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/hess/earth-sciences-history/article-abstract/24/1/93/614038/DOUGLAS-MAWSON-S-FIRST-MAJOR-GEOLOGICAL-EXPEDITION |date=1 April 2005| author1=J. B. Jago| author2= M. D. Pharaoh | author3=C. L. Wilson-Roberts |volume= 24 |issue=1| pp=93–111|doi =10.17704/eshi.24.1.f771465730u1w938| url-access=subscription}}</ref> Mawson's detailed report, "The Geology of the New Hebrides", was published in the ''Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales'' in December 1905.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Mawson | first=Douglas | title=The geology of the New Hebrides | journal=Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales | via=Smithsonian Institution | volume=30 | date=20 December 1905 | issn=0370-047X | doi=10.5962/bhl.part.12911 | doi-access=free | pages=400–485 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/12911 | access-date=27 June 2025}}</ref> Mawson made reference to previous geological and geographical observations made by Commodore Goodenough and local missionaries, as well as English, French, and German workers on the islands. He described the raised coral reefs on the island of Santo and included cross-section drawings of the reefs and Steep Gully in at Havannah Harbour on Efate. He also sailed past and made mention of all of the other islands, and described seeing volcanic activity and experiencing earthquakes. He was unable to land on Tanna and see Yasur first-hand, but derived notes from a local missionary about it.<ref name=jagopharoah2005/> He also took photographs of geological features as well as taking extensive notes on the expedition, which are held in the Polar Collection of the South Australian Museum in Adelaide.<ref name=jagopharoah2005/>

Later, paleontologist Frederick Chapman mentions Mawson's collection of Foraminifera specimens collected in the New Hebrides, and the two of them had a paper published about the calcareous alga Halimeda in the prestigious ''Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society'' in 1906.<ref name=jagopharoah2005/>

==People and the economy== Vanuatu is a parliamentary republic. In 2024 the population of Vanuatu was around 318,007, of whom 99% are Ni-Vanuatu people, with more females than males. The median ages is 24.6 years. There are over 100 indigenous languages; the official ones are the creole English-based language Bislama, English, and French.<ref name=cia2025/>

Around 26% of the population is urbanised, with most of these living in two cities, Port Vila on Efate (population 53,000) and Luganville on Espiritu Santo. The literacy rate in 2024 was estimated at 88%.<ref name=cia2025/>

The islands' natural resources include manganese, hardwood forests, and fish.<ref name=cia2025/> {{as of|2022}}, 1.6% of its land area was arable, with agricultural land comprising 15.3% of land use. Around 10.3% of that was devoted to permanent crops. Forests cover around 36.3% of the islands.<ref name=cia2025/> Crops include coconuts, oranges, yams, cabbages, taro, bananas, chillies, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and cassava.<ref name=cia2025/>

The economy is heavily reliant on subsistence agriculture and tourism, which has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and Tropical Cyclone Harold in 2020. It receives aid for road infrastructure from Australia.<ref name=cia2025/>

Environmental concerns include water pollution, a limited supply of potable water in rural areas, inadequate sanitation, and deforestation.<ref name=cia2025/>

== International agreements== Vanuatu is party to a number of international agreements, including:<ref name=cia2025/> * Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol * Climate Change-Paris Agreement * Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty * United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea * Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources * Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) * United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification * Endangered Species * Marine Dumping-London Convention * Marine Dumping-London Protocol (1996) * Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer * Convention on Wetlands

Closely tied to the Law of the Sea, Vanuatu lays maritime claim to 24 nautical miles (nm) of contiguous zone, 12&nbsp;nm of territorial sea, and 200&nbsp;nm of continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.<ref name=cia2025/>

== Climate == Vanuatu has a tropical climate, more specifically a tropical rainforest climate (Af in the Köppen climate classification), with noticeably wetter and drier months and hot, humid conditions year-round. As the southeast trade winds are almost permanent and tropical cyclones are not rare in Port Vila and Vanuatu, the climate is not equatorial but a maritime trade-wind tropical climate.<ref>"Climatologie" by Pierre Estienne and Alain Godard, Éditions Armand Colin ({{ISBN|2-200-31042-0}}), "CHAPITRE XVI 1. Les climats équatoriaux et subéquatoriaux 2. Les climats tropicaux 3. Les climats d'alizé 4. Les climats de montagne LES CLIMATS DE LA ZONE INTERTROPICALE : LES VARIÉTÉS", pages 314, 315 and 322.</ref> Rainfall is moderate from December to April.<ref name=cia2025/>

===Tropical cyclones=== Vanuatu can be affected by tropical cyclones from December to April.<ref name=cia2025/>

In March 2015, Cyclone Pam was one of the worst cyclones to ever hit Vanuatu,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unicef.org.nz/vanuatu|title=Vanuatu – Cyclone Pam Emergency Appeal|work=Unicef NZ|access-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403093543/https://www.unicef.org.nz/vanuatu|archive-date=3 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=World Food Programme|publisher=ReliefWeb|date=14 March 2015|access-date=15 March 2015|title=Emergency – Cyclone Pam, Vanuatu|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/vanuatu/emergency-cyclone-pam-vanuatu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=British Broadcasting Company|date=17 March 2015|access-date=17 March 2015|title=Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu islanders forced to drink saltwater|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31917913}}</ref> and had been described as a worst-case scenario for the country,<ref>{{cite web|author=Steve Almasy and Jethro Mullen|publisher=CNN|date=15 March 2015|access-date=15 March 2015|title=Aid workers scramble to help Cyclone Pam victims in Vanuatu |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/15/asia/cyclone-pam-vanuatu/}}</ref> with the estimated cost of damage being in the hundreds of millions.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Prevention Web|date=15 May 2015|access-date=2 July 2015|title=UNESCO supports recovery of Vanuatu's culture sector following Tropical Cyclone Pam|url=http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/news/v.php?id=44408|archive-date=2 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002054935/http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/news/v.php?id=44408|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In April 2020, Cyclone Harold caused severe damage to Vanuatu and other Pacific nations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Vanuatu braces for strengthening tropical cyclone Harold |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/vanuatu-braces-for-strengthening-tropical-cyclone-harold |access-date=April 6, 2020 |work=SBS News |publisher=SBS |date=April 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cappucci |first1=Matthew |title=Tropical Cyclone Harold rakes Fiji after slamming Vanuatu at Category 5 strength |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/04/07/tropical-cyclone-harold-rakes-fiji-after-slamming-vanuatu-category-5-strength/ |access-date=April 7, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 7, 2020 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/sandravanuatu/status/1247125206029615105|title=#CycloneHarold #TCHarold #Vanuatu @UNICEFPacific declares that 100,000 people have been impacted, a third of the country's population, the majority of whom are children. Widespread network outages is hindering news from affected areas.|last=Vanuatu|first= ) in|date=April 6, 2020|website=@sandravanuatu|language=en|access-date=April 7, 2020}}</ref><ref name="CasualtiesReportedVanuatu">{{cite news |title=Casualties reported in Vanuatu following TC Harold |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/413853/casualties-reported-in-vanuatu-following-tc-harold |access-date=April 10, 2020 |work=RNZ |publisher=Radio New Zealand |date=April 9, 2020}}</ref>

{{Weather box |location = Port Vila (Köppen Af) |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |collapsed = Yes |width = auto |Jan record high C = 35.0 |Feb record high C = 33.9 |Mar record high C = 33.5 |Apr record high C = 32.5 |May record high C = 31.1 |Jun record high C = 32.0 |Jul record high C = 34.3 |Aug record high C = 32.0 |Sep record high C = 31.5 |Oct record high C = 31.2 |Nov record high C = 33.0 |Dec record high C = 35.6 |year record high C = 35.6 |Jan high C = 31.3 |Feb high C = 31.2 |Mar high C = 30.8 |Apr high C = 29.9 |May high C = 28.8 |Jun high C = 27.4 |Jul high C = 26.4 |Aug high C = 27.0 |Sep high C = 27.7 |Oct high C = 28.5 |Nov high C = 29.2 |Dec high C = 30.7 |year high C = 29.1 |Jan mean C = 26.4 |Feb mean C = 26.5 |Mar mean C = 26.3 |Apr mean C = 25.3 |May mean C = 24.1 |Jun mean C = 23.0 |Jul mean C = 22.1 |Aug mean C = 22.0 |Sep mean C = 22.7 |Oct mean C = 23.4 |Nov mean C = 24.6 |Dec mean C = 25.7 |year mean C = 24.3 |Jan low C = 22.5 |Feb low C = 23.0 |Mar low C = 22.6 |Apr low C = 22.0 |May low C = 20.2 |Jun low C = 19.8 |Jul low C = 18.2 |Aug low C = 18.0 |Sep low C = 18.4 |Oct low C = 19.6 |Nov low C = 20.7 |Dec low C = 21.7 |year low C = 20.5 |Jan record low C = 15.8 |Feb record low C = 15.0 |Mar record low C = 16.3 |Apr record low C = 14.5 |May record low C = 13.4 |Jun record low C = 10.0 |Jul record low C = 8.5 |Aug record low C = 10.0 |Sep record low C = 9.9 |Oct record low C = 11.0 |Nov record low C = 12.6 |Dec record low C = 15.2 |year record low C = 8.5 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 316.1 |Feb rain mm = 273.7 |Mar rain mm = 320.9 |Apr rain mm = 255.2 |May rain mm = 210.3 |Jun rain mm = 180.0 |Jul rain mm = 94.4 |Aug rain mm = 87.4 |Sep rain mm = 87.3 |Oct rain mm = 134.1 |Nov rain mm = 192.3 |Dec rain mm = 187.2 |unit rain days = 1.0 mm |Jan rain days = 15.4 |Feb rain days = 16.6 |Mar rain days = 18.5 |Apr rain days = 17.1 |May rain days = 12.9 |Jun rain days = 11.3 |Jul rain days = 10.3 |Aug rain days = 9.8 |Sep rain days = 8.1 |Oct rain days = 8.4 |Nov rain days = 12.1 |Dec rain days = 13.2 |Jan humidity = 84 |Feb humidity = 85 |Mar humidity = 86 |Apr humidity = 87 |May humidity = 85 |Jun humidity = 85 |Jul humidity = 83 |Aug humidity = 82 |Sep humidity = 80 |Oct humidity = 81 |Nov humidity = 82 |Dec humidity = 83 |year humidity = 84 | Jan dew point C =24 | Feb dew point C =24 | Mar dew point C =24 | Apr dew point C =23 | May dew point C =21 | Jun dew point C =21 | Jul dew point C =20 | Aug dew point C =20 | Sep dew point C =20 | Oct dew point C =21 | Nov dew point C =22 | Dec dew point C =23 |Jan sun = 220.1 |Feb sun = 155.4 |Mar sun = 198.4 |Apr sun = 165.0 |May sun = 170.5 |Jun sun = 162.0 |Jul sun = 148.8 |Aug sun = 167.4 |Sep sun = 174.0 |Oct sun = 198.4 |Nov sun = 180.0 |Dec sun = 195.3 |year sun = |Jand sun = 7.1 |Febd sun = 5.5 |Mard sun = 6.4 |Aprd sun = 5.5 |Mayd sun = 5.5 |Jund sun = 5.4 |Juld sun = 4.8 |Augd sun = 5.4 |Sepd sun = 5.8 |Octd sun = 6.4 |Novd sun = 6.0 |Decd sun = 6.3 |yeard sun = 5.8 |source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst<ref name = PortVDWD>{{cite web | url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_915570_kt.pdf | title = Klimatafel von Vila (Int. Flugh.) / Insel Efaté / Vanuatu (Neue Hebriden) | work = Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world | publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst | language = de | access-date = 22 November 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170510172337/http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_915570_kt.pdf | archive-date = 10 May 2017 | url-status = dead |date=March 2014}}</ref>

|source 2 =[https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/vanuatu/port-vila/climate Time and Date] (dewpoints, between 2005-2015)<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/vanuatu/port-vila/climate |title = Climate & Weather Averages at Bauerfield Efate weather station (91557) |publisher = Time and Date |access-date = 6 February 2022}}</ref>

}}

==Forests== ===REDD+ reference level and monitoring=== Under the UNFCCC REDD+ framework, Vanuatu has submitted a national forest reference level (FRL) package. On the UNFCCC REDD+ Web Platform, the country's 2023 submission is listed as having an assessed reference level, while a national strategy, safeguards information and a national forest monitoring system are all listed as "not reported".<ref name="UNFCCC_REDD_VUT">{{cite web |title=Vanuatu (VUT) - Submissions provided by Country |website=REDD+ Web Platform |publisher=United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) |url=https://redd.unfccc.int/submissions/by-country/country_detail/vut.html}}</ref>

The first assessed FRL, submitted in 2023 and technically assessed in 2024, covered three REDD+ activities at national scale: reducing emissions from deforestation, reducing emissions from forest degradation, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Using a 2008-2017 reference period, the original and modified submissions both reported an FRL of 732,441 t CO2 eq per year.<ref name="UNFCCC_TAR_VUT_2023">{{cite report |title=Report on the technical assessment of the proposed forest reference level of Vanuatu submitted in 2023 |publisher=United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) |date=22 August 2024 |id=FCCC/TAR/2023/VUT |url=https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/tar2023_VUT.pdf}}</ref> The technical assessment states that it included above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass and dead organic matter, excluded soil organic carbon, reported CO2 only, and used a forest definition of at least 0.5 hectares, 10 percent canopy cover and trees at least 5 metres tall or capable of reaching that height in situ.<ref name="UNFCCC_TAR_VUT_2023" />

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{Vanuatu topics}} {{Geography of Oceania}} {{CIA World Factbook}}

Category:Geography of Vanuatu