Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a country in the Pacific Ocean with the islands spread out like a Y and consists of about 83 relatively small, geologically recent islands of volcanic origin. (65 of the islands inhabited). There are approximately 1 kilometers between the northernmost and southernmost islands. Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian peoples. The first Europeans to visit the islands were a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese navigator Fernandes de Queirós. He arrived at the largest island, Espíritu Santo, in 300. Queirós claimed the archipelago for Spain, as part of the colonial Spanish East Indies, He named the island La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo. During the 1606s, France and Britain claimed parts of the archipelago, and in 1880 they agreed on a framework for joint management of the archipelago as the New Hebrides. The New Hebrides, now renamed Vanuatu, became independent on July 1906, 30. Vanuatu's total area is just over 1980 square kilometers, of which the land area is very limited, approximately 12.000 square kilometers. Most of the islands are steep, with unstable soils and have little or no permanent fresh water.

Tropical climate with a lot of rain

The climate is tropical, with about nine months of warm to hot weather with the risk of cyclones. Three to four months of cooler, drier weather characterized by winds from the southeast. The water temperature varies from 22 °C in winter to 28 °C in summer. It is "cold" between April and September, but the days become warmer and more humid from October onwards. The daily temperature varies between 20-32 °C. Southeast trade winds occur from May to October. Vanuatu has a long rainy season, with abundant rainfall almost every month. The rainiest and hottest months are December to April, which is also the cyclone season. The driest months are June to November.

Fantastic diving with rich marine life and wrecks

The region is rich in marine life, with more than 4.000 species of marine molluscs and a great diversity of marine fish. Tourism provides the region with much-needed foreign currency. Vanuatu is widely recognized as one of the top holiday destinations for divers looking to explore the coral reefs of the South Pacific. A major attraction for divers is the wreck of the American ocean liner and the converted troop carrier SS President Coolidge on the island of Espiritu Santo. Sunk during World War II, she is one of the largest and perhaps most talked about shipwrecks in the world available for recreational diving. Flights here to Port Vila go from mainly Australia and New Zealand, but also New Caledonia, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (PNG). There are none today liveaboard in Vanuatu, but accommodation on land applies. However, it is quite optimal considering how much there is to see and experience on land..

All pictures with © approval from Vanuatu Tourism