Luganvilleis the second largest city inVanuatu. Its population is13,167. The city is calledSantoby people from Vanuatu's northern islands, who use Luganville as their big city. It is calledKanal(from FrenchSecond Canal) by rural residents of the large island ofEspiritu Santo.
The main street that runs through Luganville contains most of the commercial businesses and is very wide as a result of the American base commander insisting that four army tanks could be driven side by side along the road. Small side streets and outlying roads cater for the residential zones. The main street contains the port at one end and the markets and municipal council building at the other end. In the centre there are two main types of stores: tourist boutiques and all-in-one stores (best described as a cross between a supermarket and a hardware store).