Malakula, also spelled Malekula, is the second-largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides, in Melanesia, a region of the Pacific Ocean.

Lakatoro, the capital of Malampa Province, is situated on Malakula's northeastern shore and is the largest settlement on the island.

The first Europeans to sight the island were the members of the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós, in 1606.

[2] After being visited in 1774 by Captain James Cook, on his second voyage to the Pacific, the islands were colonised in the late 18th century by both the British and the French, eventually becoming a condominion called in English the New Hebrides.

The tribes’ names are a reference to the size of the penis sheaths worn by the men, which are made out of banana or pandanus leaves.

Until recently, it was the custom in the culture of these tribes to bind infants' skulls in order to permanently alter the shape of their heads.

It is also the site of the island's main wharf and the administrative centre for Malampa province (which includes Malekula, Ambrym and Paama).

The Maskelynes and the small offshore islands along the east coast of Malekula have sand beaches, as well as coral reefs that are good places for recreational snorkeling and diving.