Mataso is an island in the Shefa of

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 ...

in the Pacific Ocean. The island is a part of Shepherd Islands archipelago.

Geography

Mataso Island is located south of Makira Island. It is formed by two hills separated by white sandy beaches known as Matah Susum (Small Mataso) and Matah 'Ahlam (Big Mataso), so the island was as "Two Hills" by early explorers. Matah'Alam is the highest peak at . The estimated terrain elevation above the sea level is some . The nearest islands are Makura and Emae. Mataso is widely known for its broad marine resources with rich coral reefs around the coast and a wide variety of game shipping options out on the open sea.

Population

As of 2015, the island supports a population of about 61 in 12 households. The main settlement is Na'asang. The principal economic activity is

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no ...

an
Fisheries
The GDP of the island is $457 per capita. The island's language, also called Namakura, as its also used by parts of Emae,

Makira The island of Makira (also known as San Cristobal and San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Islands. It is third most populous island after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020. ...

, Buniga, Tongariki and parts of

Tongoa Tongoa Island is an inhabited island in Shefa Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. Geography Tongoa is the largest island of Shepherd Islands archipelago. The island is heavily vegetated and shows geothermal activity. Tongoa is of recent ...

. Many of the islanders now live in

Port Vila Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate. Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...

by the area of Ohlen Mataso.

References

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