Matthew Island Volcano

 island, volcano

The Matthew and Hunter Islands are a group of two small and uninhabited volcanic islands in the South Pacific, located 300 km east of New Caledonia and south-east of Vanuatu archipelago. Hunter Island and Matthew Island, 70 km apart, are claimed both by Vanuatu (as part of Tafea province, and considered by the people of Anatom Island part of their custom ownership) and France (as part of New Caledonia).
Small, arid, without fresh water and not easily accessible, the islands had no interest for Britain or France during their colonization of the Pacific in the course of the 18th and 19th centuries. France officially annexed both islands in 1929. In 1965, the United Kingdom, co-adminstrator of the New Hebrides with France, also claimed the two islands. France conducted a symbolic occupation in 1975. In 1980, on its independence (from joint French-British administration), Vanuatu claimed sovereignty, but made no occupation of the islands. In 1979, Météo-France set up an automatic weather station on one of the islands, and the French Navy regularly visits both of them. [above from Wikipedia.] There is a stratovolcano on Matthew Island, rising to 177 meters above sea level.