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Yasur volcano on Tanna Island has been erupting constantly for the last 800 years. Usually, it spews smoke and ash but occasionally it erupts violently.

Vanuatu is located just north-east of New Caledonia. It is a collection of volcanic islands, formed by undersea volcanoes.

Peering deep into one of the vents on Ambrym, Vanuatu's largest volcano.

Map of Vanuatu showing the names of the main islands and the location of the capital, Port Vila.

Satellite image of the islands of Vanuatu. The country is made up of 84 islands in total, spread out over some 12,000km².

Vanuatu is collection of mountainous islands in the Pacific, formed by volcanoes.

Yasur volcano is surrounded by ash plains, laid down by hundreds of years of eruptions from this volcano.

Yasur volcano is a well known attraction in Vanuatu for its constant activity.

Ambrym's crater is filled with an enormous bubbling lava lake that constantly gives off smoke and steam.

Yasur volcano erupting with the sea in the background. Vanuatu's islands are all volcanic in origin, created by volcanoes emerging from the sea.

Unique lava formations on the side of Ambrym, the largest volcano in Vanuatu.

Yasur volcano on Tanna Island is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, having been continuously erupting for the last 800 years.

Satellite image of Gaua Volcano in Vanuatu erupting. The smoke plume billows for hundreds of miles in a northeast direction.

The typical green landscape of Vanuatu. Forest covers more than 75% of the islands.

Vanuatu is home to one of the richest ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean, with abundant life both on land and in the reefs around its coast.

300 species of coral can be found in Vanuatu's reefs, along with more than 450 different species of reef fish.

Cows can be found across Vanuatu, and are one of the country's most valuable exports.

Vanuatu's volcanic soil can support almost any crop. Ninety percent of Vanuatu's inhabitants practice farming, growing produce such as what is shown here.

Locals sell their surplus produce at one of many road-side markets in Vanuatu's towns.

The sea around Vanuatu's islands is full of rich coral reefs, home to huge numbers of sea life.

Large areas of Vanuatu's forests have been cleared to make pastureland for cattle or space for cash crops, such as this coconut plantation.

The forest reaches right to the coast in Vanuatu. This image shows the coast off Pentecost Island.

From the air it is possible to see the dense cover of forest that engulfs most of Vanuatu's land area.

Dense forest covers 75% of all of Vanuatu's land area, and reaches almost right into the sea.

Vanuatu is known for its high levels of rainfall and large clean lakes of fresh water, which takes on this almost unnatural shade of turquoise.

Copra, or coconuts, are one of the main cash crops on Vanuatu. Here, they are bundled ready for sale.

1775 - William Hodges painting depicting colonial ships arriving at Tanna Island, Vanuatu.

Two girls from a village on Tanna Island. A hundred different cultures and languages can be found across Vanuatu, varying from village to village.

The Jon Frum cargo cult raise flags as part of a ceremony in the hope that Jon Frum will return, bringing with him more cargo.

A red cross marks the Jon Frum movement on the island of Tanna.

A shrine to Jon Frum. The Jon Frum cargo cult on Tanna Island worship a figure who came to them and prophesied of white men and cargo falling from the sky, which came true in World War II.

The arrival of Americans in Vanuatu during World War II brought infrastructure such as roads and airstrips to these islands.

Port Vila is Vanuatu's largest city, home to some 36,000 people. Melanesians first settled here 3,000 years ago but from the 17th century it became a colonial city.

Vanuatu has been inhabited for at least 3,000 years, first by Melanesian settlers and later by colonialists.

Vanuatu has a very young population, and children are largely free to enjoy their abundant environment as they wish.

Most people on Vanuatu live in houses such as these, created from weaving leaves into a tight structure that is waterproof.

Carved totems on Ambrym island. More than 100 different cultures can be found in Vanuatu, each with different cultural and religious practices.

A Yakel women and her children in one of Vanuatu's many remote villages.

Children running down a residential road in Vanuatu's largest town, Port Vila.