Ra, a small island of 50 ha (120 acres), is located 270 meters (886 ft) off the southern coast of Mota Lava.

The latter region has been affected by the subduction of a submerged, extinct island arc complex called the D'Entrecasteaux Zone.

In early 19th-century texts and maps, Mota Lava was called Saddle Island, after the distinctive saddle-shaped profile it presents when seen from a boat offshore.

The name M̄ota Lava [ŋ͡mʷota laβa] (or in simple spelling, Motalava) caught on after it started being used by 19th-century missionaries to the island.

Like the rest of Vanuatu, Motalava was first settled around the 12th century BCE by Austronesian navigators belonging to the Lapita culture.

[3][4] The island was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós, from 25 to 29 April 1606.