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Vanuatu

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{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+'''''Ripablik blong Vanuatu
République du Vanuatu''
Republic of Vanuatu
''' | align="center" colspan="2"| {| border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="background:#f9f9f9; text-align:center;" | width="130px"| Image:Flag of Vanuatu.svg 125px|Flag of Vanuatu || align=center width=130px| Image:Vanuatu_coat_of_arms.jpg 125px|Coat of Arms of Vanuatu |- | width="130px" | (Flag of Vanuatu In Detail) || (Vanuatu coat of arms In Detail) |} |- | align=center style="vertical-align: top;" colspan=2 | ''List of state mottos National motto: Let us stand firm in God |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background: #ffffff;" | Image:LocationVanuatu.png Location of Vanuatu |- | '''Official languages''' .html">Bislama, English_language English.html" title="Meaning of _English">English, French language French |- | '''Capital''' || Port Vila |- | '''Largest City''' || Port Vila |- | '''President of Vanuatu President''' || Kalkot Mataskelekele |- | '''Prime Minister of Vanuatu Prime Minister''' || Ham Lini |- | '''Area'''
 - Total
 - % water | List of countries by area Ranked 156th
1 E10 m² 12,200 km²
Negligible |- |- |'''Population'''
 - Total (?)
 - Population density Density |List of countries by population Ranked 172
199,414
16/km² |- |'''Human Development Index HDI''' (2003) || 0.659 (List of countries by Human Development Index 118th) – medium |- | '''Independence''' || 30 July 1980 |- | '''Currency''' || Vatu |- | '''Time zone''' .html">Coordinated Universal Time UTC + 11 |- | '''National anthem''' || Yumi, Yumi, Yumi |- | '''Top-level domain Internet TLD''' || .vu |- | '''List of country calling codes Calling Code''' || +678 |} The '''Republic of Vanuatu''' is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is located some 1,750 kilometre km east of Australia, 500 km north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji and south of the Solomon Islands. It was named New Hebrides during its Colonialism colonial period.

History
''Main article: History of Vanuatu'' Many of the islands of Vanuatu have been inhabited for thousands of years, the oldest archaeological evidence found dating to 2000 BC. In 1605, the Portugal Portuguese exploration explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós became the first European to reach the islands, believing it to be part of Terra Australis. Europeans began settling the islands in the late 18th century, after Great Britain British explorer James Cook visited the islands on his James Cook#Second voyage .281772-1775.29 second voyage, and gave them the name New Hebrides. In 1887, the islands began to be administered by a France French-United Kingdom British naval commission. In 1906, the French and British agreed to an Condominium (international law) Anglo-French Condominium on the New Hebrides. Vanuatu suffered from the practice of blackbirding, wherein half of the adult male population of some of the islands became indentured workers in Australia. Because of introduced diseases, the population fell greatly, to 45,000 in 1935. During World War II, the islands of Éfaté and Espiritu Santo were used as allied military bases. In the 1960s, the ni-Vanuatu people started to press for self-governance and later independence; full sovereignty was finally granted by both European nations on July 30, 1980. It joined the UN in 1981, and the Non-Aligned Movement in 1983. During the 1990s, Vanuatu experienced political instability, which eventually resulted in a more decentralised government. The Vanuatu Mobile Force, a paramilitary group, attempted a coup in 1996, because of a pay dispute. There were allegations of corruption in the government of Carlot Korman. New elections were called several times since 1997, most recently in 2004.

Politics
{{Main|Politics of Vanuatu}} The parliament of Vanuatu is unicameral, and has 52 members; these are elected every four years by popular vote. The leader of the main party in the parliament is usually elected Prime Minister of Vanuatu Prime Minister, and heads the government. The head of state, the President of Vanuatu President, is chosen every five years by the parliament and the presidents of the six provincial governments. Forming coalition governments, however, has proved problematic at times, owing to differences between English language English and French language French speakers.

Provinces
''Main article: Provinces of Vanuatu'' image:Vanuatu_Provinces.JPG 200px|right|Provinces of Vanuatu Since 1994, Vanuatu has been divided into six provinces: * Malampa * Penama * Sanma * Shefa Province Shefa * Tafea * Torba

Geography
''Main article: Geography of Vanuatu'' Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 Islands of Vanuatu islands, of which two — Matthew and Hunter Islands Matthew and Hunter — are also claimed by the French overseas department of New Caledonia. Of all the 83 islands, 14 have surface areas of more than 100 square kilometers, from largest to smallest: Espiritu Santo (3956 km²), Malakula (2041 km²), Éfaté (900 km²), Erromango (888 km²), Ambrym (678 km²), Tanna (555 km²), Pentecôte (491 km²), Épi (445 km²), Ambae or Aoba (402 km²), Vanua Lava (334 km²), Santa Maria (328 km²), Maéwo (304 km²), Malo (180 km²) and Anatom or Aneityum (159 km²). Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin, and have a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The nation's largest towns are the capital Port Vila, which is situated on Éfaté, and Luganville, on Espiritu Santo. The highest point in Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, at 1879 m (6158 ft), on the island of Espiritu Santo. There are several active volcanoes in Vanuatu, including Lopevi as well as several underwater ones.

Ecology
Vanuatu is recognized as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion, known as the '''Vanuatu rain forests'''. Vanuatu is part of the Australasia ecozone, which also includes neighboring New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, as well as Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.

Economy
''Main article: Economy of Vanuatu'' The economy is based primarily on subsistence agriculture subsistence or small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism (with about 50,000 visitors in 1997), 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 and a 12.5 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services. 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. A severe earthquake in November 1999, followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote, leaving thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the capital, Port-Vila, and surrounding areas, and also was followed by a tsunami. Gross domestic product 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. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of Vanuatu's foreign aid. Vanuatu is a tax haven that does not release account information to other governments and law enforcement agencies. Pressure is however being brought to bear on the Vanuatu Government to adhere to International norms to improve transparency in this respect. In Vanuatu, there is no income tax, no withholding tax, no capital gains tax, no inheritance taxes, and no exchange controls. Companies like Kazaa and WinMX have chosen to incorporate in Vanuatu to avoid regulation and legal challenges.

Demographics
Image:Nh-map.png thumb|Map of Vanuatu ''Main article: Demographics of Vanuatu'' Vanuatu had a population of 205,754 (July 2005 estimate from the CIA World Factbook). Most of the population is rural, though Port Vila and Luganville have populations in the tens of thousands. Most of the inhabitants of Vanuatu (98.5%) are native Melanesian, or ''Ni-Vanuatu'', with the remainder made up of a mix of Europeans, Asians and other Pacific islanders. A few of the islands are Polynesian outliers. About 2,000 Ni-Vanuatu live and work on New Caledonia.

Language
''Main article: Languages of Vanuatu'' There are three official language languages: English language English, French language French and Bislama (a creole language which evolved from English). In addition, over one hundred local dialect languages are spoken on the islands. The density of languages per capita is the highest of any nation in the world (with an average of only 2000 speakers per language); only Papua New Guinea comes close. All of the indigenous languages are Austronesian languages.

Religion
Christianity is the predominant religion in Vanuatu, consisting of several denominations. The Presbyterian Church, adhered to by about one third of the population, is the largest of them. Roman Catholic and Anglican are other common denominations, each claiming about 15% of the population. Others are Seventh-day Adventist and Church of Christ. Because of the modernities that soldiers in World War II brought with them when they came to the island, several cargo cults developed. Many died out, but the John Frum cult on Tanna is still large, and has adherents in the parliament.

Culture
''Main article: Culture of Vanuatu'' Vanuatu culture retains a strong diversity derived through local regional variations and through foreign influence. Vanuatu may be divided into three major cultural regions: *In the north, wealth is established by how much one can give away (especially pigs, which are considered a symbol of wealth throughout Vanuatu). *In the center, more traditional Polynesian culture Polynesian cultural systems dominate. *In the south, a system involving grants of title with associated privileges has developed. Young men under go a various coming-of-age ceremonies and rituals to initiate them into manhood. Visitors are encouraged to display modesty and politeness and to dress in a respectful manner. The music of Vanuatu, as an industry, grew rapidly in the 1990s, and several bands have forged a distinctive Vanuatuan identity. In Port Vila and two other centers are locations of the University of the South Pacific, a educational institution co-owned by twelve Pacific countries. The Vanuatu campus is the only law school in the university.

Miscellaneous topics
*Communications in Vanuatu *Foreign relations of Vanuatu *Military of Vanuatu *Transportation in Vanuatu

List of cities
Below is a partial listing of cities: * Isangel * Lakatoro * Longana * Luganville * Port Olry * Port Vila * Sola, Vanuatu Sola

Trivia
The ninth season of the reality TV series ''Survivor (TV series) Survivor'' was filmed on Vanuatu, and was titled ''Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire''.

References

- Vanuatu Tourism Office Retrieved January 9, 2006.
- About.com Retrieved January 9, 2006.

External links

- Finding Vanuatu
- Interactive maps of Vanuatu
- Republic of Vanuatu government
- Invest in Vanuatu
- Jane's Vanuatu Home Page
- Map of Vanuatu
- Vanuatu Kava (Source for the traditional drink of Vanuatu)
- Vanuatu Online
- Vanuatu National Tourism Office
- Voyaging Vanuatu by Tallship
- World's 1st UNDERWATER post office
- In pictures: Vanuatu volcano
- Vanuatu Photography (People, Scenery, Lifestyle) {{Former French colonies}} {{Pacific Islands}} Category:Island nations Category:Oceanian countries Category:Melanesia Category:Vanuatu * Category:Archipelagoes af:Vanuatu an:Vanuatu bg:Вануату zh-min-nan:Vanuatu bi:Vanuatu ca:Vanuatu cs:Vanuatu da:Vanuatu de:Vanuatu et:Vanuatu el:Βανουάτου es:Vanuatu eo:Vanuatuo eu:Vanuatu fr:Vanuatu gl:Vanuatu ko:바누아투 kw:Vanuatu hr:Vanuatu io:Vanuatu id:Vanuatu is:Vanúatú it:Vanuatu he:ונו×?טו lv:Vanuatu lt:Vanuatu hu:Vanuatu mk:Вануату ms:Vanuatu nl:Vanuatu nds:Vanuatu ja:ãƒ?ヌアツ no:Vanuatu nn:Vanuatu oc:Vanuatu pl:Vanuatu pt:Vanuatu ro:Vanuatu ru:Вануату sq:Vanuatu sh:Vanuatu simple:Vanuatu sk:Vanuatu sl:Vanuatu sr:Вануату fi:Vanuatu sv:Vanuatu tl:Vanuatu th:ประเทศวานูอาตู tpi:Vanuatu tr:Vanuatu Cumhuriyeti uk:Вануату zh:瓦努阿图 {{sisterlinkswp|Category:Vanuatu}} Category:Oceanian countries Category:Melanesia Category:Members of the Commonwealth of Nations ca:Categoria:Vanuatu cs:Kategorie:Vanuatu da:Kategori:Vanuatu de:Kategorie:Vanuatu et:Kategooria:Vanuatu es:Categoría:Vanuatu eu:Kategoria:Vanuatu fr:Catégorie:Vanuatu he:קטגוריה:ונו×?טו id:Kategori:Vanuatu io:Category:Vanuatu it:Categoria:Vanuatu ja:Category:ãƒ?ヌアツ ko:분류:바누아투 nl:Categorie:Vanuatu no:Kategori:Vanuatu nn:Kategori:Vanuatu pl:Kategoria:Vanuatu pt:Categoria:Vanuatu ru:КатегориÑ?:Вануату sl:Kategorija:Vanuatu fi:Luokka:Vanuatu sv:Kategori:Vanuatu
{| class="toccolours" style="margin: 0 2em;" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ccccff" align="center" width="100%" | Provinces of Vanuatu Provinces and Islands of Vanuatu islands of Vanuatu || Image:Flag of Vanuatu.svg 50px|Flag of Vanuatu |- | style="font-size: 90%; text-align: right" | Malampa:
Penama:
Sanma:
Shefa (province) Shefa:
Tafea:
Torba: ||   | style="font-size: 90%; text-align: left" | Malakula .html">Ambrym _Paama
Pentecost Island Pentecost | Ambae | Maewo
Espiritu Santo .html">Malo Island Malo
Epi (island) Epi | Éfaté | Shepherd Islands
Tanna .html">Aniwa Island Aniwa | Futuna Island, Vanuatu Futuna | Erromango | Anatom
Torres Islands | Banks Islands |}

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