Tefala (Ile Tevala, Téfala, Île Tévala) is a small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, 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 ...

Geography

The island lies 2.6 km north-west of the small island of

Laika Laika ( ; , ; – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft, launched into lo ...

, 9.4 km north of the island of Tongoa, and east of Epi.

Geology

Tefala and other small islands scattered around

Tongoa Tongoa 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 volcanic ...

(

, Sail Rock) were once a part of a larger landmass formed by the eruptions of the submarine volcano of Kuwae in the second half of the 15th century. The

volcanic arc A volcanic arc (also known as a magmatic arc) is a belt of volcanoes formed above a subducting oceanic tectonic plate, with the belt arranged in an arc shape as seen from above. Volcanic arcs typically parallel an oceanic trench, with the arc ...

, called the New Hebrides arc, is home to a number of more famous volcanoes, such as

Yasur Yasur can refer to: * Asaf Yasur (born 2002), Israeli Paralympic champion and world champion taekwondo athlete * Yasur, Iran, in Gilan Province * Mount Yasur Mount Yasur is a volcano on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, high above sea level, on the coas ...

Gaua Gaua (formerly known as ''Santa Maria Island'') is the largest and second most populous of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in northern Vanuatu. It covers . Geography Gaua is subject to frequent earthquakes and cyclones. The climate is ...

, and

Ambrym Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Volcanic activity on the island includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit. Etymology Ambrym (also known as ''Ambrin'', ''"ham rim"'' in the Ranon language ...

References

{{authority control Islands of Vanuatu Shefa Province Uninhabited islands of Vanuatu