Geography of Vanuatu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vanuatu, formerly called New Hebrides, is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia. Vanuatu's immediate neighbours include the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 14,760 km²
land: 14,760 km²
water: 0 km²
note: includes more than 80 islands
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 2,528 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 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: Mount Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 75%
other: 11% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA km²
Natural hazards: tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes
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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Australia
Australia • Norfolk Island • Christmas Island • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Melanesia
East Timor • Fiji • New Caledonia • Papua New Guinea • Solomon Islands • Vanuatu
Micronesia
Guam • Kiribati • Marshall Islands • Northern Mariana Islands • Federated States of Micronesia • Nauru • Palau
Polynesia
American Samoa • Cook Islands • French Polynesia • New Zealand • Niue • Pitcairn • Samoa • Tokelau • Tonga • Tuvalu • Wallis and Futuna
