| Location | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
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| Geographic coordinates | 16 00 S, 167 00 E |
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| Zone | Oceania |
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| Area | total: 12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited |
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| Land boundaries | 0 km |
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| Coastline | 2,528 km |
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| Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
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| 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 |
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| Terrain | mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m |
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| Natural resources | manganese, hardwood forests, fish |
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| Irrigated land | 2,528 km |
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| Natural hazards | tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis |
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Environment -
current issues | a majority of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water; deforestation |
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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 |
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| Geography - note | a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes |
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