Aneityum

Aneityum (also known as Anatom or Keamu) is a rural island in Vanuatu the southernmost island of Vanuatu, less than 70 km south-south-east of Tanna. Aneityum is a volcanic island, made up of two volcanic cones, Mount Indero (852 m, west) and Nanawaréz (804 m, east).

Understand

The ancient population may have risen to 6,000 (12,000 according to some specialists, admiring the sophistication of the ancient irrigation system). The arrival of Europeans (sandalwood workers, whalers, missionaries, from 1825), with its share of diseases and labor trafficking, led to a dizzying drop in the population, from 3,563 around 1850 to 710 in 1890, and 182 in 1932. The increase in the population is recent with 227 inhabitants in 1967, 543 in 1989, 821 in 1999, 915 in 2009. Now, about a hundred natives of the island live in Vanuatu's capital of Port-Vila.

The language spoken here is a Polynesian language, also called Aneityum.

Get in

1 Aneityum Airport (AUY  ^IATA), also known as Anatom Airport, sits on Mystery Island, an islet just off the larger island of Aneityum. There are three weekly flights from Port Vila via Tanna. Some cruises also make a stopover to Aneityum.

See and do

• 1 Mystery Island. This is the main attraction of the Aneityum region. This islet near Aneityum is really part of a small atoll with the main island still existing in the middle. (updated Jan 2018)

Eat and drink

• 1 Fresh Coconuts. (updated Jan 2018)

Sleep

• 1 Wunschstrand. Only place to stay on the island of Aneityum. (updated Jan 2018)

Go next

• The island of Tanna to the north has more tourist attractions and is more developed than Aneityum.
• Aniwa has a hotel but very few facilities. There is an airport in the north of the island.