Nguna Island is an outer

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

off the north coast of

Efate Efate (french: Éfaté) is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. It is also known as Île Vate. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanua ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

Undine Bay Undine Bay is a bay on the northern coast of Efate, Vanuatu. It lies between the main island and the smaller islands of Nguna Island and Pele Island, and east of Moso Moso or MoSo can refer to: * MoSo, a music and technology festival in Saskato ...

. It is neighbored to the east by

Pele Island Pélé Island, sometimes spelled Pele in English, is a volcanic island located 11,2 miles north of the island of Éfaté in the Shefa Province of the Republic of Vanuatu. It has a total area of 1.7 square miles, Pélé is inhabited by about 200-2 ...

and to the west by

Moso Island Moso Island is an island off the northwest coast of Efate in Vanuatu, in Shefa Province. It is separated from Efate by Namoso Passage, which is wide at its narrowest point. Along with Lelepa Island, Lelepa, it creates the harbour at north Efate ...

Geography

The island is bisected by two extinct volcano craters, the highest of which is the peak of Mount Taputoara at tall. Th
Nguna-Pele Marine Protected Area Network
was established in 2003 as a way to conserve and protect the fragile and unique reef environment around the Nguna and Pele Islands. Sixteen communities on the two islands work together to maintain several small marine and terrestrial closures that have been established by area chiefs, village councils, local NGOs, and the assistance of a

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

volunteer.

Population

Nguna is home to thirteen

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

s, which are located on the north, east, and south of the island, with west Nguna largely uninhabited. The total population was approximately 1,300 according to the 2009 census.2009 Census Summary release final
- Government of Vanuatu

Tourism

Nguna Island is the most developed Outer Efate Island for tourism with some ten

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

s and

guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use o ...

s and tours including diving the Nguna Pele Marine Protected Area,

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

tagging,

tree house A tree house, tree fort or treeshed is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, a han ...

climbing, and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

the extinct volcano. The accommodation is concentrated in Taloa village, southern Nguna, but there is accommodation in the other villages scattered around Nguna. Nguna can be reached by boat from the Emua Wharf.

References

Islands of Vanuatu Shefa Province {{Vanuatu-geo-stub