Luganville

Brief information about the Luganville

Luganville Luganville is the second largest city in Vanuatu. Its population is 16,312. The city is called Santo by people from Vanuatu's northern islands, who use Luganville as their big city. It is called Kanal (from French Second Canal) by rural residents of the large island of Espiritu Santo on which the city lies.

The main street that runs through Luganville contains most of the commercial businesses. It is unusually wide as a result of the American base commander insisting that four army tanks must be able to be driven side by side along the road. Small side streets and outlying roads cater for the residential zones.

The main street contains the port at one end and the markets and municipal council building at the other end. In the centre there are two main types of stores: tourist boutiques and all-in-one stores (best described as a cross between a supermarket and a hardware store).