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 Oceania

Area
total: 12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km
note: includes more than 80 islands
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries 0 km

Coastline 2,528 km

Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM

Climate tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds

Terrain mostly mountains 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: 3%
permanent crops: 7%
other: 90% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land NA sq km

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 potable and reliable supply of 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

Geography - note a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes

NOTE: The information regarding Vanuatu on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Vanuatu Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Vanuatu Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.