Vanuatu Country Facts
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific
Affairs
October
2007
Background Note:
Vanuatu
Detail of 19th-century
dance
sculptures from Malakula
Island,
Vanuatu, June 19, 2006. [? AP
Images]
Flag of Vanuatu is 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.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Republic of
Vanuatu
Geography
Area: Land--12,190 sq. km. (4,707 sq. mi.), 83 Islands.
Comparative
area--about the size of
Connecticut.
Cities: Capital--Port Vila (on the island of Efate), pop. 33,700.
Other towns--Luganville (on the island
of Espiritu Santo, also known as Santo). Terrain:
Mostly mountains of volcanic origin, narrow coastal
plains. Climate:
Tropical.
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--ni-Vanuatu.
Population (2006):
221,506.
Annual growth rate (2005 est.):
2.2%.
Ethnic groups: 94% ni-Vanuatu; 4% European; 2% other Pacific
Islanders,
Asian.
Religion: Predominantly
Christian.
Languages: Bislama (Pidgin), English, French, over 100 tribal
languages. Education: Enrollment in primary
is 100% with rapid fall-off to 20% in
secondary and upper secondary. Adult literacy rate (2005)--74% of
those age 15 and
older.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2005)--55.1/1,000. Life expectancy
(2005) --62.5
yrs.
Work force (1999): 134,000. Agriculture--65%. Industry--5%.
Service--30%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary
democracy.
Independence: July 30,
1980.
Constitution: July 30,
1980.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister (head
of government). Legislative--unicameral
(52-member
parliament).
Judicial--Supreme
Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 6 administrative
districts.
Political parties: Melanesian Progressive Party (MPP); Union of
Moderate Parties (UMP); National United Party
(NUP); Vanua'aku Party (VP); Vanuatu Republican
Party (VRP); the Confederation of Greens (CG); John Frum group;
People's Progressive Party (PPP); National Community Association
(NCA). Suffrage: Universal over
18.
Independence Day: July
30.
Economy
GDP (2005): $343.6
million.
Per capita income (2005):
$1,576.
Real growth rate (2005):
3.1%.
Avg. inflation rate (2005):
2.6%.
Natural resources: Forests, agricultural land, marine
resources.
Agriculture: Products--copra, cocoa, coffee, cattle,
timber.
Industry: Types--copra production, beef processing, sawmilling,
tourism, financial
services.
Trade (2003): Exports--$135.27 million: coconut oil, copra, kava,
beef. Major markets--EU 44.9%, Australia 12.1%, Japan 6.8%, New
Caledonia 4.6%.
Imports--$181.4 million: machines and transport equipment, food and
live animals, basic manufactures, mineral
fuels. Major suppliers--Australia 42.5%, New Zealand 13.0%, Fiji 8.6%,
Singapore
6.2%.
Exchange rate (2005 avg.): 109.25
vatu=U.S.$1.
GEOGRAPHY
Vanuatu is a 'Y' shaped archipelago of 83 islands. It is located
about 1,750 kilometers east of Australia. Fiji lies to the east, New
Caledonia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to
the northwest, all within the area of the South Pacific called
Melanesia.
The two largest islands, Espiritu Santo (or Santo) and Malakula,
account for nearly one-half of the total land area. They are
volcanic, with sharp
mountain peaks, plateaus, and lowlands. The larger islands of the
remaining half also are volcanic but are overlaid with
limestone formations; the smaller
ones are coral and limestone. Volcanic activity is common with
an ever-present danger of a major eruption, the
last of which occurred in 1945. Rainfall averages about 2,360
millimeters (94 in.) per year but can be as high as
4,000 millimeters (160 in.) in the northern
islands.
PEOPLE
The population of Vanuatu is 94% indigenous Melanesian. About 33,700
live in the capital, Port Vila. Another 10,700 live in Luganville (or
Santo Town) on Espiritu Santo. The remainder live in rural areas.
Approximately 2,000 ni-Vanuatu
live and work in New Caledonia. Although local pidgin,
called Bislama, is the national language,
English and French also are official
languages. Indigenous Melanesians speak 105 local
languages.
Christianity has had a profound influence on ni-Vanuatu society, and
an estimated 90% of the population is
affiliated with one of the Christian
denominations. The largest denominations are Presbyterian, Roman
Catholic, and Anglican. John Frum, a syncretic sect, also
is important on Tanna
Island.
HISTORY
The prehistory of Vanuatu is obscure; archaeological evidence
supports the commonly held theory that peoples speaking
Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 4,000 years
ago. Pottery fragments have been found dating back to 1300-1100
B.C.
The first island in the Vanuatu group discovered by Europeans was
Espiritu Santo, when in 1606 the Portuguese explorer,
Pedro Fernandez De Quiros, spied what he thought was a southern
continent. Europeans did not return until
1768, when Louis Antoine de Bougainville rediscovered the islands. In
1774, Captain Cook named the islands the New Hebrides, a name
that lasted until
independence.
In 1825, trader Peter Dillon's discovery of sandalwood on the island
of Erromango began a rush that ended in
1830 after a clash between immigrant Polynesian
workers and indigenous Melanesians. During the 1860s, planters in
Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, and the Samoa Islands, in need of
laborers, encouraged a long-term indentured labor trade called
"blackbirding." At the height of the labor trade, more than
one-half the adult male population of several of the
Islands worked abroad. Fragmentary evidence indicates that the current
population of Vanuatu is greatly reduced compared to
pre-contact
times.
It was at this time that missionaries, both Catholic and Protestant,
arrived on the islands. Settlers also came, looking for land on which
to establish cotton plantations. When international
cotton prices collapsed, they switched to coffee, cocoa, bananas, and,
most successfully, coconuts. Initially,
British subjects from Australia made up the majority, but the
establishment of the Caledonian Company of the New Hebrides in
1882 soon tipped the balance in favor of French subjects. By the turn
of the century, the French
outnumbered the British two to
one.
The jumbling of French and British interests in the islands brought
petitions for one or another of the two powers to annex the territory.
In 1906, however, France
and the United Kingdom agreed to administer the
islands jointly. Called the
British-French Condominium, it was a unique form
of government, with separate
governmental systems that came together only in a joint court.
Melanesians were barred from acquiring the citizenship of either
power.
Challenges to this form of government began in the early 1940s. The
arrival of Americans during World War II, with their informal
demeanor and relative wealth, was instrumental in the rise of
nationalism in the islands. The belief
in a mythical messianic figure named John Frum was the basis for an
indigenous cargo cult (a movement attempting to obtain industrial
goods through magic) promising
Melanesian deliverance. Today, John Frum is both a religion and
a political party with a member in
Parliament.
The first political party was established in the early 1970s and
originally was called the New Hebrides National Party. One of
the founders was Father Walter Lini, who later became
Prime Minister. Renamed the Vanua'aku Pati in 1974, the party
pushed for independence; in 1980, the Republic of Vanuatu was
created.
GOVERNMENT
The constitution created a republican political system headed by a
president who has primarily ceremonial powers and is elected by a
two-thirds majority in an electoral college consisting of
members of Parliament and
the presidents
of Regional Councils. The president serves a 5-year term.
The president may be removed by the Electoral
College for gross misconduct or incapacity. The
prime minister, who is the head of government, is elected by a
majority vote of a three-fourths quorum of the Parliament. The
prime minister in turn appoints
the Council of Ministers, whose number may not
exceed one-fourth of the number of parliamentary representatives. The
prime minister and the Council of Ministers constitute the
executive government.
Parliament is a 52-member unicameral house elected by all persons
over 18 years old. Parliament normally sits for a
4-year term unless dissolved by majority vote of a
three-fourths quorum or a directive from the president on the advice
of the prime minister. The national Council of Chiefs, called the
Malvatu Mauri and elected by district councils of chiefs, advises
the government on all
matters concerning ni-Vanuatu culture and
language.
The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and up to three other
judges. Two or more members of this court may constitute a
Court of Appeal.
Magistrate courts handle most routine legal matters. The legal system
is based on British law. The constitution
also provides for the establishment of village or island courts
presided over by chiefs to deal with questions of
customary
law.
Principal Government
Officials
President--Kalkot Matas
Kelekele
Prime Minister--Ham
Lini
Foreign Minister/Deputy Prime Minister--Sato
Kilman
Vanuatu does not have an embassy in Washington. Its mission to the
United Nations is located at 866 UN Plaza, 4th
Floor, Room 41, First Avenue and 48th Street, New York, NY 10017.
Vanuatu Maritime Services, which
provides information on
ship registration in Vanuatu, is located at 120
Broadway, Suite 1743, New York, NY
10271.
POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Government and society in Vanuatu tend to divide along
linguistic--French and English--lines. Historically, English-speaking
politicians such as Walter Lini and other leaders
of the Vanua'aku Pati favored early independence,
whereas French-speaking political leaders favored continuing
association with the colonial administrators, particularly
France.
On the eve of independence in 1980, Jimmy Stevens' Nagriamel
movement, in alliance with private French interests
and backed by American libertarians hoping to establish a
tax-free haven, declared the island of Espiritu Santo
independent of the new government. Following independence, Vanuatu requested
assistance from Papua New Guinea, whose forces restored order on
Santo. From then until 1991, the Vanua'aku Pati and its predominantly
English-speaking leadership controlled the Vanuatu
Government, and Walter Lini became widely considered as the
nation's founding
father.
In December 1991, and following a split in the Vanua'aku Pati, Maxime
Carlot Korman, leader of the Francophone Union of Moderate Parties
(UMP), was elected Vanuatu's
first Francophone prime minister. He formed a coalition
government with Walter Lini's breakaway VP faction, now named the
National United Party (NUP). From 1995-2004 government
leadership changed frequently due to unstable coalitions within
the Parliament and within the major
parties.
The president dissolved Parliament in May 2004 to forestall a vote of
no confidence and called a special election
that resulted in losses for most major parties.
UMP's leader, Serge Vohor, returned as Prime Minister at the
head of an unwieldy coalition government. Following controversy over Vohor's
attempt to extend diplomatic relations to Taiwan, he was ousted by a
vote of no confidence in December 2004 and replaced by Ham Lini,
brother of Walter Lini. The new coalition includes ten
parties and features the former
opposition leader, Sato Kilman, as Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign
Minister.
ECONOMY
Vanuatu's economy is primarily agricultural; 80% of the population is
engaged in agricultural activities that range from subsistence farming
to smallholder farming of coconuts and other cash crops. Copra is by
far the most important cash crop (making up more than 35% of the
country's exports), followed by timber, beef, and
cocoa. Kava root extract exports also have
become
important. In addition, the government has maintained
Vanuatu's
preindependence status as a tax haven and international off-shore
financial center. About 2,000 registered institutions offer a
wide range of offshore banking, investment, legal,
accounting, and insurance and trust-company
services. Vanuatu also maintains an international shipping register
in New York City. In 2002, following increasing
international concern over money laundering,
Vanuatu increased oversight and reporting requirements for its
off-shore
sector.
Coconut oil, copra, kava and beef account for more than 75% of
Vanuatu's total agricultural exports and
agriculture accounts for approximately 20% of GDP. Tourism is
Vanuatu's fastest-growing sector, having comprised 40% of GDP in 2000.
Industry's portion of GDP declined from 15% to 10% between 1990 and
2000. Government consumption accounted for about 27% of
GDP.
Vanuatu is a small country, with only a few commodities, mostly
agricultural, produced for export. In 2003, imports exceeded exports
by a ratio of nearly 3 to 2. However, this was partially offset by
high services income from
tourism, keeping the current account balance at $-28.4
million.
Vanuatu claims an exclusive economic zone of 680,000 square
kilometers and possesses substantial marine resources.
Currently, only a limited number of ni-Vanuatu are involved in
fishing, while foreign fleets exploit
this
potential.
In 1997 the government, with the aid of the Asian Development Bank,
committed itself to a 3-year comprehensive reform program. During the
first year of the program the government adopted a value-added tax,
consolidated and reformed government-owned banks, and started a
10% downsizing in the public service. An important part of the
reform installed career civil servants as Director Generals in
charge of each ministry, helping to ensure continuity of service
despite the frequent changes in
government.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Vanuatu maintains relations with more than 65 countries, including
Russia, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, and
Vietnam. However, only Australia, France, New Zealand, and the
People's Republic of China maintain embassies, high
commissions, or missions in Port
Vila.
The government's main concern has been to bolster the economy. In
keeping with its need for financial assistance,
Vanuatu has joined the Asian
Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund,
and the Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et
Technique.
The government encourages private enterprise, foreign investment,
and producer cooperatives.
Like other developing countries, Vanuatu
is
particularly interested in enterprises that add value to local
primary products and that provide
employment. In less lucrative sectors,
the government sets
up its own production companies or enters joint ventures with foreign
investors.
Since 1980, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand
have provided the bulk of Vanuatu's
development aid. A number of other countries, including Japan,
Canada, Germany, and various multilateral organizations,
such as the Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific, the
UN Development Program, the Asian Development
Bank, the European Economic
Community, and the Commonwealth Development Corporation also
provide developmental
aid. The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the
United Kingdom, and Japan also send volunteers. In March 2006 the
United States Millennium Challenge
Corporation signed a five-year $65.69 million
Compact agreement with Vanuatu. Vanuatu retains strong economic and cultural
ties to Australia, New Zealand, and
France.
Membership in International
Organizations
Vanuatu is a member of the United Nations and its specialized and
related agencies, including the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund;
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC); Pacific Islands Forum
(PIF); Non-Aligned Movement; Commonwealth,
Group of 77; and Asian Development Bank
(ADB).
U.S.-VANUATU
RELATIONS
The United States and Vanuatu established diplomatic relations in
1986. Between 1977 and 1987, Vanuatu
received just under $3 million from the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), including projects focusing on
assisting the transition to indigenous plantation management. In June
1994, the regional USAID office located in Suva, Fiji, was
closed due to U.S. Government budgetary
cutbacks. The U.S. military retains training links and conducts
ad hoc assistance projects in
Vanuatu.
In March 2006 the United States Millennium Challenge Corporation
signed a five-year $65.69 million Compact agreement
with Vanuatu. The Millennium Challenge
Program is expected to increase average income per capita by 15%
within five years and directly impact the lives of more than 65,000
of the rural poor in
Vanuatu.
Vanuatu identified costly and unreliable transportation
infrastructure as a major impediment to economic growth. To
overcome this constraint, the Compact consists of up to eleven
infrastructure projects--including roads, wharfs, an airstrip and
warehouses--that will help poor, rural agricultural producers
and providers of tourist related goods and services reduce
transportation costs and improve access to
transportation services. The Compact
also includes institutional
strengthening efforts and policy reform initiatives in Vanuatu's
Public Works Department, including: provision of plant
and equipment for
maintenance; introduction of service performance contracts;
establishment of local community maintenance schemes; and
introduction of user
fees.
The United States also remains a major financial contributor to
international and regional organizations that assist Vanuatu,
including the World Bank, UNICEF, WHO, the UN Fund
for Population Activities, and the Asian Development
Bank.
In 1989, the United States concluded a Peace Corps agreement with
Vanuatu. The Peace Corps has met with a warm welcome
there and currently has over 80 volunteers in-country. The
United States also provides military training
assistance.
Principal U.S. Embassy
Officials
Ambassador--Leslie Rowe (resident in Port Moresby, Papua New
Guinea) Deputy Chief
of Mission--Tom
Weinz
Peace Corps Country Director--Kevin
George
Millennium Challenge Country Director--Jeffry
Stubbs
The mailing address of the U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea is P.O.
Box 1492, Port Moresby (tel: 675-321-1455; fax: 675-321-3423). The
Embassy maintains a web site dedicated to relations with Vanuatu at
http://www.usvpp-vanuatu.org.
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe
trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international
travel, see http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizenstraveling or
residing abroad to register via the State
Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on
security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http:// www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.
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Vanuatu Country Facts
