Vanikoro (sometimes wrongly named Vanikolo) is an island in the Santa Cruz group, located 118 km to the Southeast of the main Santa Cruz group. It is part of the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands.

The name Vanikoro is always used as though it referred to a single island, due to both its geophysical and cultural unity. However, technically it is a group of several nearby islands surrounded by a single belt of coral reef. Only the two major islands are inhabited: the bigger one Banie, and the smaller one Teanu (or Tevai). Other, uninhabited islets in the Vanikoro group include Manieve, Nomianu and Nanunga. The total area of the Vanikoro group is 173 km².

Population and languages

The 1300 inhabitants of Vanikoro consist of two different populations, who tend to live separately. The Melanesian majority, about 800 people, are the descendants of the original population of Vanikoro. A minority of about 500 individuals are of Polynesian descent; for the last few centuries they have established settlements on the southern coast of Banie, even though they still preserve close links with Tikopia, an island lying 200 km eastwards, which they identify as their origin.

Vanikoro is a genus of very small sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Vanikoridae.

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off Mauritius.

Species

Species within the genus Vanikoro include: