1.
[syn: Vanuatu, Republic of Vanuatu, New Hebrides]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Vanuatu
n 1: a volcanic island republic in Melanesia; independent since
1980 [syn: Vanuatu, Republic of Vanuatu, New
Hebrides]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Vanuatu
Introduction Vanuatu
--------------------
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 Vanuatu
-----------------
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
note: includes more than 80 islands
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 2,528 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic
baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the
edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM
Climate: tropical; moderated by southeast
trade winds
Terrain: mostly mountains 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: 2.46%
permanent crops: 7.38%
other: 90.16% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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 potable and
reliable supply of water;
deforestation
Environment - international party to: Antarctic-Marine Living
agreements: 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
People Vanuatu
--------------
Population: 196,178 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.6% (male 35,681;
female 34,164)
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 61,384;
female 58,473)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 3,473;
female 3,003) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.66% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 24.83 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 8.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 59.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.33 years
female: 62.8 years (2002 est.)
male: 59.93 years
Total fertility rate: 3.08 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and
plural)
adjective: Ni-Vanuatu
Ethnic groups: indigenous Melanesian 98%, French,
Vietnamese, Chinese, other Pacific
Islanders
Religions: Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%,
Roman Catholic 15%, indigenous
beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist
6.2%, Church of Christ 3.8%, other
15.7% (including Jon Frum Cargo
cult)
Languages: three official languages: English,
French, pidgin (known as Bislama or
Bichelama), plus more than 100 local
languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 53%
male: 57%
female: 48% (1979 est.)
Government Vanuatu
------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Vanuatu
conventional short form: Vanuatu
former: New Hebrides
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: Port-Vila
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: President Father
John BANI (since 25 March 1999)
elections: president elected for a
four-year term by an electoral
college consisting of Parliament and
the presidents of the regional
councils for a five-year term;
election for president last held 25
March 1999 (next to be held NA
2004); 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 2 May 2002 (next to be held NA
2003)
note: the government of Prime
Minister Barak SOPE was ousted in a
no confidence vote on 14 April 2001
and Edward NATAPEI was elected the
new prime minister by Parliament
election results: Father John BANI
elected president; percent of
electoral college vote - NA%; Edward
NATAPEI reelected prime minister by
Parliament
cabinet: Council of Ministers
appointed by the prime minister,
responsible to Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister
Edward NATAPEI (since 16 April
2001); Deputy Prime Minister Serge
VOHOR (since 16 April 2001)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (52 seats;
members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 May 2002
(next to be held NA 2006)
note: the National Council of Chiefs
advises on matters of custom and
land
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - UMP
15, VP 14, VRP 3, MPP 2, other and
independent 18; note - political
party associations are fluid
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 [Dinh Van THAN]; Union of
Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge
VOHOR]; Vanuaaku Party (Our Land
Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI];
Vanuatu Republican Party [Maxime
Carlot KORMAN]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-
participation: 77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, NAM,
Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WMO, WTrO (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 the US does not have an embassy in
US: 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 Vanuatu
---------------
Economy - overview: The economy is based primarily on
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. 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 and left
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.
GDP growth has risen 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $257
million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,300
(2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 26%
industry: 12%
services: 62% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, services 30%,
industry 5% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $94.4 million
expenditures: $99.8 million,
including capital expenditures of
$30.4 million (1996 est.)
Industries: food and fish freezing, wood
processing, meat canning
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 39 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 36.27 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee,
taro, yams, coconuts, fruits,
vegetables; fish, beef
Exports: $22.8 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: copra, kava, beef, cocoa, timber,
coffee
Exports - partners: Japan 32%, Belgium 17%, US 17%,
Germany 8% (2000)
Imports: $87.5 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs,
fuels
Imports - partners: Australia 28%, Singapore 14%, New
Zealand 8%, Japan 4%, US 1% (2000)
Debt - external: $64.6 million (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $45.8 million (1995)
Currency: vatu (VUV)
Currency code: VUV
Exchange rates: vatu per US dollar - 146.02
(December 2001), 145.31 (2001),
137.64 (2000), 129.08 (1999), 127.52
(1998), 115.87 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Vanuatu
----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 5,500 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 310 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2002)
Radios: 67,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)
Televisions: 2,300 (1999)
Internet country code: .vu
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 3,000 (2000)
Transportation Vanuatu
----------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,070 km
paved: 256 km
unpaved: 814 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu
Santo)
Merchant marine: total: 54 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 1,092,838 GRT/1,329,576 DWT
ships by type: bulk 22, cargo 9,
chemical tanker 1, combination bulk
3, container 2, liquefied gas 3,
petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated
cargo 7, vehicle carrier 6
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Australia 3, Canada 2,
China 1, Japan 25, Monaco 4,
Netherlands 1, New Zealand 5, Panama
1, Poland 1, Switzerland 2, United
Kingdom 4, US 2, Vietnam 1 (2002
est.)
Airports: 31 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 17 (2001)
Military Vanuatu
----------------
Military branches: no regular military forces; Vanuatu
Police Force (VPF; including the
paramilitary Mobile Force or VMF)
Military expenditures - dollar $NA
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of NA%
GDP:
Transnational Issues Vanuatu
----------------------------
Disputes - international: Matthew and Hunter Islands east of
New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and
France