Geography & environment — Vanuatu
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Vanuatu: Oceania
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Oceania
- Geographic Coordinates
16 00 S, 167 00 E
- Total Area
4,706 Square Miles 12,189 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
4,706 Square Miles 12,189 Square Kilometers
- Coastline
1,571 Miles 2,528 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
- Highest Point
1,877 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Tabwemasana 1,877 m
- Lowest Point Location
Pacific Ocean 0 m
- Natural Resources
manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- 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
- Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia
- Total Area
4,706 Square Miles 12,189 Square Kilometers
Environment
- 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