Guide to Vanuatu Introduction Background: 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.
Geography 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
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 2,528 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea
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
Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use: arable land
Irrigated land: NA
Natural hazards: tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment - current issues: a majority of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: party to
Geography - note: a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes
People Population: 205,754 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
Population growth rate: 1.52% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 23.06 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
Total fertility rate: 2.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun
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
Government Country name: conventional long form
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: Port-Vila (Efate)
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba
Independence: 30 July 1980 (from France and UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 July (1980)
Constitution: 30 July 1980
Legal system: unified system being created from former dual French and British systems
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections
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 [leader NA]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Vanuatu Greens Party or VGP [Moana CARCASSES]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: 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 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 about 50,000 visitors in 2004, 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. 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): $580 million (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (2003 est.)
Budget: revenues
Agriculture - products: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef
Industries: food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 48.42 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel
Electricity - consumption: 45.03 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 600 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Exports: $26.6 million f.o.b. (2003)
Exports - commodities: copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee
Exports - partners: Thailand 47%, Malaysia 18.4%, Japan 7.5%, Belgium 5.4%, China 4.9% (2004)
Imports: $138 million c.i.f. (2002)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels
Imports - partners: Taiwan 24%, Australia 16.5%, Japan 11.4%, Singapore 8.5%, New Zealand 7.2%, Fiji 6.3%, US 4.4% (2004)
Debt - external: $83.7 million (2002)
Economic aid - recipient: $27.5 million (2002)
Currency (code): vatu (VUV)
Currency code: VUV
Exchange rates: vatu per US dollar - 111.79 (2004), 122.19 (2003), 139.2 (2002), 145.31 (2001), 137.64 (2000)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 6,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 7,800 (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004)
Radios: 67,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2004)
Televisions: 2,300 (1999)
Internet country code: .vu
Internet hosts: 512 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 7,500 (2003)
Transportation Highways: total
Ports and harbors: Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)
Merchant marine: total
Airports: 30 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total
Military 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)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA
Transnational Issues Disputes - international: Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France
Last updated: 20 October, 2005
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