Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates
16 00 S, 167 00 E
Map references
Oceania
Area
total
12,200 sq km
land
12,200 sq km
water
0 sq km
note
includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
2,528 km
Maritime claims
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate
tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April
Terrain
mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point
Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Natural resources
manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use
arable land
1.64%
permanent crops
6.97%
other
91.39% (2005)
Irrigated land
NA
Natural hazards
tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment - current issues
Environment - international agreements
party to
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes
Population
211,971 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
31.9% (male 34,590/female 33,124)
15-64 years
64.3% (male 69,496/female 66,745)
65 years and over
3.8% (male 4,178/female 3,838) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
23.4 years
male
23.4 years
female
23.4 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
1.46% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
22.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
7.75 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.044 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.041 male(s)/female
65 years and over
1.089 male(s)/female
total population
1.044 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
52.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male
54.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female
49.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
63.22 years
male
61.67 years
female
64.84 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.63 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Nationality
noun
Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective
Ni-Vanuatu
Ethnic groups
Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5% (1999 Census)
Religions
Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic 13.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian 13.8%, indigenous beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 9.6%, none 1%, unspecified 1.3% (1999 Census)
Languages
local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
74%
male
NA
female
NA (1999 census)
Country name
conventional long form
Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form
Vanuatu
local long form
Ripablik blong Vanuatu
local short form
Vanuatu
former
New Hebrides
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
name
Port-Vila (on Efate)
geographic coordinates
17 44 S, 168 19 E
time difference
UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
unified system being created from former dual French and British systems
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16 August 2004)
head of government
Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 11 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Sato KILMAN (since 11 December 2004)
cabinet
Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament
elections
president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 29 July 2004 (next to be held following general elections in 2008)
election results
Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49 votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2004 (next to be held 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NUP 10, UMP 8, VP 8, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP 3, other and independent 16; note - political party associations are fluid
note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)
Political parties and leaders
Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Hem LINI]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Greens Party or VGP [Moana CARCASSES]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]
Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN
Diplomatic representation from the US
the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu
Flag description
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow
Economy - overview
This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with more than 60,000 visitors in 2005, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism through improved air connections, resort development, and cruise ship facilities. Agriculture, especially livestock farming, is a second target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$276.3 million (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$341 million (2005)
GDP - real growth rate
6.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$2,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
26%
industry
12%
services
62% (2000 est.)
Labor force
76,410 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
65%
industry
5%
services
30% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate
1.7% (1999)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
-1.6% (2005 est.)
Budget
revenues
$78.7 million
expenditures
$72.23 million (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning
Industrial production growth rate
1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production
43 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
39.99 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
620 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance
-$28.35 million (2003)
Exports
$34.11 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities
copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee
Exports - partners
Thailand 59%, India 16.5%, Japan 11.3% (2006)
Imports
$117.1 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels
Imports - partners
Australia 20%, Japan 19.2%, Singapore 11.7%, NZ 8.6%, Fiji 7.5%, China 7.2%, New Caledonia 4.2% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$40.54 million (2003)
Debt - external
$81.2 million (2004)
Economic aid - recipient
$37.8 million (2004)
Currency (code)
vatu (VUV)
Currency code
VUV
Exchange rates
vatu per US dollar - 111.93 (2006), NA (2005), 111.79 (2004), 122.19 (2003), 139.2 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
6,800 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
12,700 (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
NA
domestic
NA
international
country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios
67,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
1 (2004)
Televisions
2,300 (1999)
Internet country code
.vu
Internet hosts
413 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
7,500 (2004)
Airports
31 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
3
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
914 to 1,523 m
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
28
914 to 1,523 m
10
under 914 m
18 (2006)
Roadways
total
1,070 km
paved
256 km
unpaved
814 km (1999)
Merchant marine
total
51 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,340,132 GRT/1,908,687 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 29, cargo 8, container 1, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned
51 (Australia 2, Canada 5, Denmark 6, Estonia 1, Japan 28, Poland 5, Russia 1, Switzerland 2, US 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)
Military branches
no regular military forces; security forces comprise the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) and paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF), which includes Vanuatu's naval force, known as the Police Maritime Wing (PMW); border security in Vanuatu is the joint responsibility of the Customs and Inland Revenue Service, VPF, VMF, and PMW (2003)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49: 50,221 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 33,837 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA
Disputes - international
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France
