The history of Vanuatu begins obscurely. The commonly held theory of Vanuatu's prehistory from archaeological evidence supports that peoples speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 3,300 years ago. Pottery fragments have been found dating back to 1300 BC. What little is known of the pre-European contact history of Vanuatu has been gleaned from oral histories and legends. One important early king was Roy Mata, who united several tribes, and was buried in a large mound with several retainers.
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of 3,955.5 km2 (1,527.2 sq mi) and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census.
Malo is an island in Vanuatu 3 km (1.9 mi) off the southern coast of Vanuatu's largest island, Espiritu Santo, in Sanma Province. It has a circumference of 55 km (34 mi) and an area of 180 km2 (69 sq mi). It is 17 kilometres or 11 miles long, and 13 kilometres or 8.1 miles wide. The highest point on the island is Mount Malo.
Bokissa is a very small island in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu located 10 km (6 mi) south of Espiritu Santo.
Aore Island is an island in Sanma Province, Vanuatu. It is located opposite Luganville on Espiritu Santo and has an area of 58 km2. The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is some 89 meters.
Araki Island is a small rocky island with an area of 2.5 km², located 3 miles off the southern shores of Espiritu Santo, which is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu.
The North Vanuatu languages form a linkage of Southern Oceanic languages spoken in northern Vanuatu.
Velit Bay Plantation is a plantation on the east coast of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. It lies on Velit Bay, and consists of over 1600 acres of plantation and forest. The plantation caters to tourists and contains a restaurant.
Linua is an island in the Torres Islands archipelago in Torba Province of Vanuatu in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Malokilikili Island is an inhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. Malokilikili lies off the eastern coast of Malo Island.
Mavea Island is an inhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. The island lies off the eastern coast of Espiritu Santo. The estimated terrain elevation above the sea level is some 63 metres.
Elephant Island is an uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.
Lataro is an uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.
Thion is a small uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.
Malwepe is a small uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.
Malvapevu is a small uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.
Malparavu is a small uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.
Maltinerava is a small uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.
Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo or Espiritu Santo Naval Base, most often just called Espiritu Santo, was a large United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting the Pacific War. Espiritu Santo Naval Base was located at Espiritu Santo in New Hebrides, now Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean. The base also supported the United States Army Air Forces, United States Coast Guard, US Marine Corps and US Army. Espiritu Santo Naval Base was the first large advance base built in the Pacific. By the end of the war it had become the second-largest base in the Pacific. To keep ships on the flighting front there was a great demand for bases that could repair and restock ships in remote ports, rather than bring the ship back to the United States.Before the war, in 1940 The U.S. Navy's only fully equipped advanced base was Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The base could do fueling, loading transports and cargo ships and preparing amphibious assault ships. It became a major repair depot, with auxiliary floating drydocks that were able to repair battle damage and wear maintenance in the field. These ships otherwise would have returned to continental bases or Pearl Harbor. The base became a major resting place for troops and a regroup spot. Much of Espiritu Santo bases were built by the Seabees of the 40th Naval Construction Battalion in 1943.
Vanuatu 
