Vanuatu is a country in Oceania, with about 335,000 people (2025) and an area of 12,190 square kilometres. Its capital is Port Vila, and it has no land borders.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of VanuatuVanuatu in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
12,190 km² (4,707 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 157th largest of 195.
Population density
27 people per km²
Land neighbours
None. It has no land borders with another country.
Official name
Republic of Vanuatu
UN status
Member state
Capital coordinates
17.73° S, 168.32° E Port Vila, Natural Earth.
No land borders
Vanuatu shares no land border with another country. Its nearest neighbours are across the sea, as the map above shows.
From the Geography app
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Vanuatu's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
An arc of active volcanoes in the South Pacific
Vanuatu is a Y-shaped chain of roughly 80 islands stretching 1,300 kilometers through the southwestern Pacific. Total land area is 12,189 square kilometers. The archipelago sits on one of the most active sections of the Pacific Ring of Fire, with nine active volcanoes. Mount Yasur on Tanna Island has been erupting almost continuously for over 800 years, making it one of the most accessible active volcanoes in the world.
More on Mount Yasur
Yasur is a 361-meter stratovolcano that produces frequent Strombolian eruptions, ejecting incandescent lava several times per hour. Tourists can walk to the crater rim. The volcano holds deep spiritual significance for the people of Tanna and is believed to be the origin of the island's fertility.
4 more lenses on Vanuatu in the app
STORY The most linguistically dense country on Earth
NOW The most disaster-exposed nation on the planet
STORY Kastom: where tradition is a living political force
THREAD Melanesian solidarity in a contested ocean
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Vanuatu with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Vanuatu?
The capital of Vanuatu is Port Vila. Port Vila lies at about 17.7 degrees south and 168.3 degrees east. Vanuatu is in Oceania. It is home to about 335,000 people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Vanuatu?
About 335,000 people live in Vanuatu, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 173rd most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 12,190 square kilometres, that is about 27 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Vanuatu?
None. Vanuatu has no land borders with any other country. It is surrounded by sea, so every neighbour of Vanuatu is across the water. It lies in Oceania. Its area is 12,190 square kilometres, and about 335,000 people live there.
How big is Vanuatu?
Vanuatu covers 12,190 square kilometres, or about 4,707 square miles. That makes it the 157th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 335,000 gives a density of 27 people per square kilometre.
Vanuatu is a country in Oceania, with about 335,000 people (2025) and an area of 12,190 square kilometres. Its capital is Port Vila, and it has no land borders.
Capital
Port Vila
Continent
Oceania
Population
335,169 2025, World Bank. 173rd of 195.
Area
12,190 km² (4,707 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 157th largest of 195.
Population density
27 people per km²
Land neighbours
None. It has no land borders with another country.
Official name
Republic of Vanuatu
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
An arc of active volcanoes in the South Pacific
Vanuatu is a Y-shaped chain of roughly 80 islands stretching 1,300 kilometers through the southwestern Pacific. Total land area is 12,189 square kilometers. The archipelago sits on one of the most active sections of the Pacific Ring of Fire, with nine active volcanoes. Mount Yasur on Tanna Island has been erupting almost continuously for over 800 years, making it one of the most accessible active volcanoes in the world.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/vanuatu/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Vanuatu
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Vanuatu on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/vanuatu/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
