Erakor is a small island in the Pacific Ocean on the outskirts of

Port-Vila Port Vila ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the island of Efate, in Shefa Province. The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census. In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the co ...

, belonging to the

Shefa Province Shefa is one of the six provinces of Vanuatu, located in the center of the country and including the islands of Epi (island), Epi and Efate and the Shepherd Islands. The province's name is derived from the initial letters of SHepherd and EFAte. It ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

. The island is home to the Erakor Island Resort and Spa, and is a popular destination for western tourists.

Geography

The island lies 5 km south of

, a few hundred metres off the coast of

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

in the entrance of Erakor Lagoon. The island is about 600 metres in length and is very flat.

History

Erakor was originally inhabited by local Ni-Vanuatu people. In the 19th century the island became the site of a Presbyterian missionary station. The foundations of the early church are still visible on the island. In 1959 the local islanders relocated to Erakor Village, located across the lagoon on Efate. The island's resort first opened in 1980.

References

{{authority control Islands of Vanuatu Shefa Province