Matthew Islands lie 350 km SE of Aneityum.
The two cones were discovered in 1788.
The westernmost cone began erupting in the 1940's, tripling
the size of the Island by the 1950's.
Hunter is the southeasternmost island
of the Archipelago and is a composite cone.
The island was named after the discovery
ship in 1798.
There was lava production on the volcano
in 1895.
East Gemini lies halfway between Matthew
and Tanna.
Matthew and Hunter achieved notoriety following the passage
of the
United Nations Law of the Sea, granting ownership of the surrounding
200 miles of Ocean.
In December 1975 France despatched the warship La Bayonnaise
from New Caledonia
to both Hunter and Matthews with plaques claiming the islands
for France.
In 1982 the New Caledonian government recognized Vanuatu's
control and
in March 1983 Vanuatu erected its flag on Hunter and removed
the French plaque.
The stamp below shows the Vanuatu archipelago, the sheet underneath
it, the Islands.
Stamp courtesy of Sheryll Oswald.
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