Vot Tande
Vot Tande, also known as Vet Tagde, is a small, uninhabited islet in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu. It lies about 50 kilometers north of Mota Lava and actually consists of two tiny islands. The highest point reaches 64 meters above sea level, and the islet covers about 0.24 square kilometers (roughly 800 by 300 meters).
At the northern end there is a wave-cut platform that is exposed at low tide and can reach about 100 meters out to sea.
Vot Tande is home to thousands of seabirds, especially frigatebirds, which has given the islet its name, often described in the local languages as “the Rock of Frigatebirds.” The name’s meaning is reflected in the reconstructed Proto-Torres-Banks form *βatu [ta]ɣaⁿdai, combining words for "stone" and "frigatebird." Different spellings exist, including Vetaoundé, Vet Tande, and Vot Ganai.
The islet is part of Torba Province, Vanuatu, and lies in an area that experiences cyclones and earthquakes. Its coordinates are about 13.25°S, 167.65°E, and it sits in the UTC+11 time zone.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:02 (CET).