There are a small number of coastal settlements on the island, including Zaira and Halisi.

On March 15, 1893, Vangunu was declared part of the British Solomon Islands protectorate.

Vangunu is a volcanic island, dominated by an inactive Pleistocene stratovolcano[2] with a height of 1,082 metres (3,550 ft), whose caldera slopes are now covered with thick jungle forest.

On the southern side of the island, the forests and coastline around the tiny community of Zaira are pristine and unique, providing habitat for at least three vulnerable species of animals: the leatherback turtles, the Vangunu giant rat, and the New Georgia monkey-faced bat.

[3] The Vanganu giant rat was documented for the first time in 2017 by Tyrone Lavery, and is considered critically endangered due to the small amount of forest habitat — about 80 square kilometres (31 sq mi) — remaining on the island amid ongoing logging.