Vanuatu Geography:
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates:
16 00 S, 167 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
12,200 sq km
land:
12,200 sq km
water:
0 sq km
note: Includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited
Area - comparative:
Slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 0 km
border countries: NA
Coastline:
2,528 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 1 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
Tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April
Terrain:
Mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Natural resources:
Manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use:
arable land: 2.46%
permanent crops: 7.38%
other: 90.16%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
Tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment - current issues:
A majority of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
A Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes |
