Geography of Vanuatu

Vanuatu is considered to be a large nation because of its total area. Its total land area is 12,189 km² (approx. 4,706 mi²). Continental shelf of Vanuatu is approximately 11,483 km² (around 4,434 mi²). Vanuatu is located in Oceania. Oceania is a region that comprises many of the islands found in the tropical Pacific Ocean. It is sometimes referred to as Oceanica. Countries in Oceania include, but are not limited to, New Zealand and The Solomon Islands. Vanuatu is not a landlocked country. It means that is is bordered by at least one major body of water. The average elevation range of Vanuatu is 398 m (1,306 ft).

Neighbors

Total length of land borders of Vanuatu is 0 kilometers (~0 miles). Vanuatu has no land borders, meaning that it also has no neighbouring countries in the traditional sense of the word.

Cities

The capital city of Vanuatu is Port Vila. The largest city in Vanuatu is Port Vila.

Elevation

The average elevation range of Vanuatu is 398 m (1,306 ft). The highest point of Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, with its official height being 1877 m (6,158 ft). The lowest point of Vanuatu is Pacific Ocean. The elevation difference between the highest (Mount Tabwemasana) and lowest (Pacific Ocean) points of Vanuatu is 1877 m (2 ft).

Area

The total land area of Vanuatu is 12,189 km² (approx. 4,706 mi²). and the total exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is 663,251 km² (~256,081 mi²). The continental shelf of Vanuatu is approximately 11,483 km² (around 4,434 mi²). Including land mass and EEZ, the total area of Vanuatu is approximately 675,440 km² (~260,788 mi²). Vanuatu is considered to be a large nation because of its total area.

Forest and arable land

4,470 km² of Vanuatu's territory is covered in forests, and forest land comprises 37% of all the land in the country. There are 200 km² of arable land in Vanuatu, and it comprises 2% of the country's total territory.

Read our section on climate to discover what parameters affect these and other biomes of the country.

Natural resources

The most notable natural resources found in Vanuatu are manganese, hardwood forests, fish.