Baluan is formed by a Pleistocene stratovolcano with a large summit crater and several flank vents, some of which might be from the Holocene age.

Several small islands consisting of cone remnants are located within 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of the north coast.

[1] Volcanic activity is evident from the hot water springs which emerge close to the shore which are mostly covered by the tide.

[3] Batapona Mountain, which has an elevation of 150 metres (490 ft), is located at the north edge of the island, and is formed of an arcuate rim and pyroclastic cone.

[4] There are several settlements on Baluan, including Mouk, Lipan, Sone, and Parioi, which according to the 2011 National Census have a combined population of 1,910.

[6] The languages of Titan and Baluan-Pam, known as locally as Paluai, are spoken on the island, in addition to Tok Pisin.

In the early 20th century, the entire population was converted to Christianity, the two main denominations being Catholicism and the Seventh-day Adventists.

Christianity does however operate parallel to other traditional belief systems, which mainly relate to illness and cure.

[3] Many Balauan people are members of the Baluan Native Christian United Church, founded in 1946 by Paliau Maloat.

[2] In pre-colonial times, villages acted as political units, consisting of multiple groups with common ancestors.

While there are cocoa and coconut plantations on the island, they do not always export, as the cost of petrol to transport produce to the mainland creates additional expense.

In large gardens, people grow taro, yams, pawpaw, banana, sweet potato, pineapple, sugarcane, and corn.

A prominent figure from Baluan was Sir Paliau Maloat OBE (1907 – 1991), who was elected as the First National Member of Assembly for Manus Province in 1964.