Vanuatu

Vanuatu has lots of islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The islands make a long Y shape. The name Vanuatu means 'Our Land Forever'.

Vanuatu is a chain of 13 main islands and many smaller ones in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 800 kilometers west of Fiji and 1,770 kilometers east of Australia. The islands stretch about 650 kilometers from north to south in a rough Y shape.

The name Vanuatu means 'Our Land Forever' in many of the local languages. Bislama, English and French are the official languages. The capital is Port Vila, and the 2020 census counted 300,019 people. The photo shows Port Vila and its harbor from the air.

Britannica describes 13 principal islands and many smaller ones about 800 km west of Fiji and 1,770 km east of Australia, extending some 650 km north to south in an irregular Y, from the Torres Islands through the Banks group, Espiritu Santo, Malakula, Éfaté and Tanna to Anatom. Its area is about 12,190 km².

The Vanuatu National Statistics Office's November 2020 census counted 300,019 people, and the Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics estimated 343,320 residents in June 2025. Bislama, an English-based pidgin, is the national language and is official with English and French; the currency is the vatu. The photo shows Port Vila on Éfaté from the air.

Port Vila is the capital city.

It is on an island called Éfaté. Most people live in small villages on many islands.

Port Vila, on the island of Éfaté, is the capital, the largest city and the main center for business. Luganville, on Espiritu Santo, the largest island, is the other urban center.

About three out of four people live in the countryside, in small villages where life centers on the land. Since independence, many people have moved to Port Vila and Luganville in search of better opportunities.

Port Vila (Vila), on Éfaté, is the capital, largest city and commercial center; Luganville, on Espiritu Santo, is the other urban center. Roughly three-quarters of the population is rural, but both towns have drawn many migrants since independence.

The University of the South Pacific's Emalus Campus in Port Vila, opened in 1989, houses the university's law school. Education is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 12. Since independence there have been attempts to build a single English-language school system, but aid from France keeps a French-language system going, and about half of ni-Vanuatu children are taught in French.

Some islands in Vanuatu have volcanoes that are still active.

Thick rainforest covers many islands. Coral reefs grow in the sea.

Vanuatu's islands have rugged mountains, high plateaus and coral reefs offshore. Earthquakes are frequent, and several islands have active volcanoes, such as Yasur on Tanna and twin vents on Ambrym. The highest point is Tabwemasana, 1,879 meters, on Espiritu Santo.

The hot, wet season runs from November to April, and the cooler, drier season from May to October. The north gets about 4,000 millimeters of rain a year, twice as much as the south. Much of the country is covered by dense rainforest.

Relief ranges from rugged mountains and high plateaus to low plateaus, coastal terraces and offshore reefs, built of sedimentary and coral limestone and volcanic rock; frequent earthquakes indicate structural instability. Active volcanoes include Séré'ama on Vanua Lava, Manaro on Aoba (Ambae), Garet on Santa Maria (Gaua), the twin vents Benbow and Marum on Ambrym and Yasur on Tanna, with submarine volcanoes and fumaroles too. Tabwemasana on Espiritu Santo reaches 1,879 m.

The southeast trades prevail, but hot-season northerlies bring most heavy rain; annual rainfall rises from about 2,000 mm in the south to some 4,000 mm in the north. Dense rainforest covers much of the group, with patches of savanna in drier areas.

Many birds and insects live in Vanuatu.

Three kinds of bats live only there. Saltwater crocodiles live there too.

Vanuatu has lots of birds and insects but not many other kinds of animals. About 10 kinds of bats live in the islands, and three of them are found nowhere else in the world.

Vanuatu is also home to the saltwater crocodile, also called the estuarine crocodile. The crocodile in the photo was photographed at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in Florida, in the United States.

Britannica contrasts Vanuatu's abundant bird and insect life with its sparse fauna otherwise. Of about 10 bat species in the islands, three are endemic, and the estuarine (saltwater) crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, also lives there.

Much of the country is forested, including stands of sandalwood and other valuable tropical trees, and selling commercial fishing rights in its waters is an important source of income. The crocodile photo shows 'Maximo', a captive animal at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in Florida, USA.

People in Vanuatu are called ni-Vanuatu.

They speak more than 100 languages! Some people draw pictures in the sand with one finger.

Most people, called ni-Vanuatu, are Melanesian, and some outer islands have Polynesian communities. More than 100 local languages and dialects are spoken, and Bislama, a language based on English, is the national language. Most people grow their own food and live in small villages, and by law land belongs to its traditional owners.

In sand drawing, an artist traces one continuous line with a finger in sand, volcanic ash or clay, making patterns that tell stories and pass on knowledge. UNESCO lists it as part of the cultural heritage of humanity. Kava, a traditional drink often shared in the evening, is one of the main exports, with beef and copra.

The ni-Vanuatu are overwhelmingly Melanesian, with Polynesian populations on some outlying islands and small European, Micronesian, Chinese and Vietnamese minorities. More than 100 Melanesian languages and dialects are spoken. About seven-tenths of people are Protestant, Presbyterians the largest group. The constitution guarantees that land cannot be alienated from its indigenous custom owners, and for most rural people kastom (custom) still guides daily life alongside Christianity.

UNESCO inscribed Vanuatu sand drawings in 2008 (proclaimed 2003): a single finger traces a continuous meandering line on an imagined grid in sand, ash or clay, a means of communication among some 80 language groups of the central and northern islands. Kava, beef, copra, timber and cocoa are the main exports.