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This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit the Vanuatu article.

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.

[edit] 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: 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 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

[edit] People

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/AIDS 

NA

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.)

[edit] Government

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 leaders 

NA

International organization participation 

ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-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 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

[edit] Economy

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 percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
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

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

[edit] Communications

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)

[edit] Transportation

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: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 17 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF; including the paramilitary Mobile Force or VMF)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

NA%

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France