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Vanuatu
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Vanuatu Ripablik blong Vanuatu Republic of Vanuatu Rpublique du Vanuatu

Deviz: Let us stand firm in God Imn: Yumi, Yumi, Yumi

Port Vila Capital (i cel mai mare ora) 1745S 16818E / -17.75, 168.3 Limbi oficiale Sistem politic - Preedinte - Prim Ministru bislama, engleza, franceza Republic Iolu Johnson Abil Sato Kilman Independen - 30 iulie 1980

Suprafa - Total - Ap (%) 12,200 km km (locul Locul 156) 0% Populaie - Estimare - Densitate Moned Prefix telefonic Domeniu Internet Fus orar 199.414 (locul Locul 172) 16/km loc/km Vatu (VUV) ++678 .vu UTC+11
modific

Republica Vanuatu este o ar insular situat n Oceania. Arhipelagul se afla la 1.750 km distanta de Australia.

Cuprins
[ascunde]

1 Istorie 2 Geografie 3 Clima 4 Note

[modificare] Istorie
Melanezienii locuiesc pe insulele care alctuiesc n prezent Vanuatu nc din anul 1300 .Hr.. Localnicii au trit n armonie, pn cnd, n anul 1606, n arhipelag a sosit primul alb: exploratorul portughez Pedro de Queirs.

[modificare] Geografie
Lanul de insule care intr n componena acestui stat, situat la nord - est de Noua Caledonie, se ntinde pe o distan de aproximativ 800 km. Cele mai mari dintre cele treisprezece insule principale ale arhipelagului sunt Espiritu Santo (4.900Km), Malekula (2.023 km), Efate (923 km) i Erromango (894 km).[1] n afar de acestea, Vanuatu mai dispune de aproximativ 70 de

insule mai mici. Arhipelagul i datoreaz existena vulcanilor (n vecintatea sa, au fost descoperite chiar dou conuri submarine).

[modificare] Clima
Clima este tropical i subtropical umed, cu temperaturi medii multianuale de +27 C n ianuarie i + 23 C n august. Cantitatea medie multianual de precipitaii este ntre 1.500 i 2.500 mm.

[modificare] Note
1. ^ Revista "Atlas", Ed. "Trustul de pres DeAgostini", nr. 134

Vanuatu
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Republic of Vanuatu Ripablik blong Vanuatu (Bislama) Rpublique de Vanuatu (French)

Flag

Coat of arms
(Bislama)

Motto: "Long God yumi stanap" (In God we stand[1][2][3]) Anthem: "Yumi, Yumi, Yumi" ("We, We, We")

(Bislama)

Capital (and largest city) Official language(s) Demonym Government President Prime Minister

Port Vila
1745S 16818E / 17.75S 168.3E

Bislama English French Ni-Vanuatu; Vanuatuan Unitary parliamentary republic Iolu Abil Sato Kilman

Independence - from France and the United 30 July 1980 Kingdom Area 12,190 km2 (161st) Total 4,710 sq mi Population estimate 224,564 (July 2011 est.)[4] 2009 census Density 243,304[5] 19.7/km2 (188th) 51/sq mi 2010 estimate $1.216 billion[6] $5,500 (2010 est.)[6] 2010 estimate

GDP (PPP) Total Per capita

GDP (nominal)

Total Per capita

$721 million[6] $2,835[6] 0.693 (medium) (126th) Vanuatu vatu (VUV) VUT (Vanuatu Time) (UTC+11) right VU .vu 678

HDI (2004) Currency Time zone Drives on the ISO 3166 code Internet TLD Calling code

Vanuatu (Bislama IPA: [vanuatu]; English /vnutu/ ( listen) vah-noo-AH-too or /vnwtu/ van-WAH-too), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (French: Rpublique de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some 1,750 kilometres (1,090 mi) east of northern Australia, 500 kilometres (310 mi) northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea. Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. The first Europeans to visit the islands were the members of a Spanish expedition led by Fernandes de Queirs who arrived in Espiritu Santo in 1605. In the 1880s France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the country, and in 1906 they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through a British-French Condominium. An independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was created in 1980. The nation's name was derived from the word vanua ("land" or "home"),[7] which occurs in several Austronesian languages,[8] and the word tu ("stand").[9] Together the two words indicated the independent status of the new nation.[9]

Contents
[hide]

1 History 2 Geography o 2.1 Flora and fauna o 2.2 Climate o 2.3 Earthquakes 3 Demographics o 3.1 Religion 4 Government o 4.1 Administrative divisions o 4.2 Politics

o 4.3 Foreign relations and military 5 Economy o 5.1 Communications 6 Culture 7 Health and education 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links

[edit] History
Main article: History of Vanuatu 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 13001100 BCE.[10] The Vanuatu group of islands was discovered by Europeans in 1606 when the Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirs working for the Spanish Crown, arrived on Espiritu Santo, and called it La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo or "The Southern Land of the Holy Spirit", thinking he had arrived in Terra Australis or Australia. 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.[10] In 1825, trader Peter Dillon's discovery of sandalwood on the island of Erromango began a rush of immigrants that ended in 1830 after a clash between immigrants and Polynesian workers. During the 1860s, planters in Australia, Fiji, New Spain, and the Samana 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.[10] It was in the 19th century that both Catholic and Protestant missionaries arrived on the islands. For example, John Geddie (1815-1872), a Scots-Canadian Presbyterian missionary landed on the island of Aneityum in 1848 and spent the rest of his life there converting the inhabitants to Christianity. Settlers also came, looking for land on which to establish cotton plantations. When international cotton prices collapsed, planters 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.[10] 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.[10] 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.[10] 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, amidst the brief Coconut War,[11][12] the Republic of Vanuatu was created.[10] During the 1990s Vanuatu experienced political instability which eventually resulted in a more decentralized 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 Maxime Carlot Korman. New elections have been called for several times since 1997, most recently in 2004.

[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of Vanuatu

Cinder plain of Mount Yasur on Tanna island. Vanuatu is an island archipelago consisting of approximately 82 relatively small, geologically newer islands of volcanic origin (65 of them inhabited), with about 800 miles (1,300 km) north to south distance between the outermost islands.[13] Two of these islands (Matthew and Hunter) are also claimed by the French overseas department of New Caledonia. Fourteen of Vanuatu's islands have surface areas of more than 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi). The country lies between latitudes 13 and 21S, and longitudes 166 and 171E. From largest to smallest, these are Espiritu Santo, Malakula, Efate, Erromango, Ambrym, Tanna, Pentecost, Epi, Ambae or Aoba, Vanua Lava, Gaua, Maewo, Malo, and Anatom or Aneityum. The nation's largest towns are the capital Port Vila, situated on Efate, and Luganville on Espiritu

Santo.[14] The highest point in Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, at 1,879 metres (6,165 ft), on the island of Espiritu Santo. Vanuatu's total area is (roughly 12,274 square kilometres (4,739 sq mi))[15] of which its land base is very limited (roughly 4,700 square kilometres (1,800 sq mi)); most of the islands are steep, with unstable soils, and little permanent freshwater.[13] One estimate (2005) is only 9% of land is used for agriculture (7% permanent crops, 2% arable land).[16] The shoreline is usually rocky with fringing reefs and no continental shelf, dropping rapidly into the ocean depths.[13] There are several active volcanoes in Vanuatu, including Lopevi, as well as several underwater ones. Volcanic activity is common with an ever-present danger of a major eruption; a recent nearby undersea eruption of 6.4 magnitude occurred in November 2008 with no casualties, and an eruption occurred in 1945.[17] Vanuatu is recognised as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion, known as the Vanuatu rain forests. It is part of the Australasia ecozone, which includes New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.

A stream on Efate island Vanuatus growing population (estimated in 2008 at 2.4 percent annually)[18] is placing increased pressure on local resources for agriculture, grazing, hunting, and fishing.[13] Some 90 percent of Ni-Vanuatu households fish and consume fish, which has caused intense fishing pressure near villages and the depletion of near-shore fish species.[13] While well vegetated, most islands also show signs of deforestation.[13] They have been logged (particularly of higher-value timber), subjected to wide-scale slash-and-burn agriculture, converted to coconut plantations and cattle ranches, and show evidence of increased soil erosion and landslides.[13] Freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce and many upland watersheds are being deforested and degraded.[13] Proper waste disposal and water and air pollution are also increasingly troublesome issues around urban areas and large villages.[13] Additionally, the lack of employment opportunities in industry and urban areas and inaccessibility to markets have combined to lock rural families into a subsistence or self-reliance mode, putting tremendous pressure on local ecosystems.[13]

[edit] Flora and fauna

Despite its tropical forests, Vanuatu has a limited number of plant and animal species. There are no indigenous large mammals. The 19 species of native reptiles include the flowerpot snake,

found only on Efate. The Fiji Banded Iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus) has been introduced as a feral animal since the 1960s.[19][20] There are 11 species of bats (3 unique to Vanuatu) and 61 species of land and water birds. While the small Polynesian rat is thought to be indigenous, the large species arrived with Europeans, as did domesticated hogs, dogs, and cattle. The ant species of some of the islands of Vanuatu were catalogued by E. O. Wilson.[21] The region is rich in sea life, with more than 4,000 species of marine mollusks. Coneshell and stonefish carry poison fatal to humans. The giant East African land snail arrived only in the 1970s but already has spread from the Port-Vila region to Luganville. There are 3 or possibly 4 adult saltwater crocodiles living in Vanuatu's mangroves and no current breeding population.[20] It is said the crocodiles reach the northern part of the islands after cyclones, given the island chain's proximity to the Solomon Islands and New Guinea where crocodiles are very common.[22]

[edit] Climate
The climate is sub-tropical with approximately nine months of warm to hot rainy weather and the possibility of cyclones and three to four months of cooler drier weather characterized by winds from the southeast.[13] The water temperature ranges from 72 F (22 C) in winter to 82 F (28 C) in the summer.[13] Cool between April and September, the days become hotter and more humid starting in October.[13] The daily temperature ranges from 68 F (20 C) to 90 F (32 C).[13] Southeasterly trade winds occur from May to October.[13] Vanuatu has a long rainy session, with significant rainfall usually occurring almost every month.[13] The wettest and hottest months are December through April, which also constitute the cyclone season.[13] The driest months are June through November.[13] Rainfall averages about 2,360 millimetres (93 in) per year but can be as high as 4,000 millimetres (160 in) in the northern islands.[16]

[edit] Earthquakes
It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article titled Earthquakes in Vanuatu. (Discuss) 2009

Earthquakes near Vanuatu, October 78, 2009. The circle sizes indicate magnitude and the black line shows the plate boundaries. Several moderate to major earthquakes affected the vicinity of Vanuatu and also of Santa Cruz Islands between October 7 and 8, 2009. The first earthquake struck at 2203 UTC on October 7, 2009 and measured 7.6 Mw. A tsunami warning was issued for 11 countries throughout the region although this was canceled within two hours after only a minor tsunami formed.[23][24] The Vanuatu earthquakes occurred on (or near) the boundary of the Australia Plate and the Pacific Plate, and occurred mostly at a depth of 35 kilometers (22 mi). This boundary region is among the most seismically active areas in the world, and Vanuatu is in the region of the Pacific called the "Ring of Fire" that is known for producing dramatic earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and other geologic phenomena.[25] On 2009-10-07 22:03:15 a large 7.6 earthquake occurred (see table below). The initial earthquake was re-designated as a foreshock because it was followed by a shock of 7.8 magnitude 15 minutes later in the same area. Moderate aftershocks occurred and those with magnitude 6.0 or higher are listed below (there were a dozen ranging from 5.0 to 5.8 within the 12 hours following the initial event). Shocks with magnitude 7.0 or higher are highlighted in light blue and the main shock of 7.8 is highlighted in dark blue. Date Time Latitude Longitude Depth Magnitude Ref (YYYY-MM-DD) (UTC) 2009-10-07 22:03:15 13.052 S 166.187 W 35 km (22 mi) 7.6 (Mw) [26] 2009-10-07 22:18:26 12.554 S 166.320 W 35 km (22 mi) 7.8 (Mw) [27] 2009-10-07 23:13:49 13.145 S 166.297 W 33 km (21 mi) 7.3 (Mw) [28] 2009-10-08 02:12:39 11.650 S 166.170 W 35 km (22 mi) 6.6 (Mw) [29] 2009-10-08 08:28:49 13.298 S 165.951 W 35 km (22 mi) 6.8 (Mw) [30] 2009-10-08 08:34:38 12.276 S 166.448 W 35 km (22 mi) 6.5 (Mw) [31] 2009-10-08 21:16:12 12.879 S 166.200 W 11 km (7 mi) 6.2 (Mw) [32] 2010

Vanuatu continued to experience significant earthquake activity in mid-2010. The largest of these included:

28 May 2010, 04:14 AM local time: An earthquake measuring 7.4 occurred at sea 300 miles northwest of Port Vila at a depth of 22 miles. This prompted an immediate tsunami warning, though it was later then canceled.[33] 2010 August 10, 16:23 local time: A magnitude 7.3 quake originally estimated at 7.57.6 struck 22 miles (35 km) west-northwest of Port-Vila at a depth of 22 miles (35 km).[34] Port Vila experienced telephone and power outages as a result, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reported that the quake resulted in a 23-centimeter tsunami at that location.[35] December 26, 2010 at 12:16:37 AM local time: A magnitude 7.3 quake struck 145 km (90 mi) west of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu; it caused a tsunami that was a few inches high but there was no damage.[36]

A few other earthquakes between magnitude 6.0 and 7.0 occurred in June,[37] July,[38][39] August,[40] and September.[41] 2011 Six earthquakes, all of which were at least a 6.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, have been recorded so far in 2011:

16 March 2011: A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu, but did not cause any damage. 31 July 2011: An undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck near Vanuatu;[42] thus far, there have been no reports of damage, and no tsunami alert has been issued. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred shortly after midnight on Sunday, July 31, 2011, about 226 miles (364 km) east of the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila. It was at a depth of 12.1 miles (19.5 km). 21 August 2011: A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu at 5 minutes to 4am Local Time. The epicenter was 50 miles from Port Vila with a depth of 25.2 miles according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 25 August 2011: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck ~50 miles southwest of Port-Vila at 10:06 PM Local Time. 26 August 2011: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck ~85 miles southwest of Port-Vila at 10:36 PM Local Time. 04 September 2011: A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck ~216 miles SSE of Port-Vila at 09:55 AM Local Time.

05 September 2011: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck ~100 miles SSE of Port-Vila at 08:44 AM Local Time.

[edit] Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Vanuatu and Languages of Vanuatu

Demographics of Vanuatu, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. Vanuatu has a population of 221,506.[14] Males outnumber females; in 1999, according to the Vanuatu Statistics Office, there were 95,682 males and 90,996 females.[43] Official statistics show infant mortality declined during the last half of the twentieth century, from 123 deaths per 1,000 population in 1967 to 25 per 1,000 in 1999.[44] However, the CIA states 46.85 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in their 2011 estimates.[4] The population is predominantly rural, although Port Vila and Luganville have populations in the tens of thousands. The inhabitants of Vanuatu, or Ni-Vanuatu, are in the majority (98.5%) of Melanesian descent, with the remainder made up of a mix of Europeans, Asians and other Pacific islanders. Three islands were historically colonized by Polynesians. About 2,000 Ni-Vanuatu live and work in New Caledonia. In 2006 the New Economics Foundation and Friends of the Earth environmentalist group published the Happy Planet Index which analysed data on levels of reported happiness, life expectancy and Ecological Footprint and estimated Vanuatu to be the most ecologically efficient country in the world in achieving high well-being.[45] The national language of the Republic of Vanuatu is Bislama. The official languages are Bislama, English and French. The principal languages of education are English and French. Bislama is a pidgin language, and now a creole in urban areas, which essentially combines a typically Melanesian grammar with a mostly English vocabulary. It is the only language that can be understood and spoken by the majority of Vanuatu's population as a second language. In addition 113 indigenous languages are still actively spoken in Vanuatu.[46] The density of languages, per capita, is the highest of any nation in the world[citation needed] with an average of only 2,000 speakers per language. All of these vernacular languages belong to the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family.

[edit] Religion

Main article: Religion in Vanuatu 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 the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Christ, Neil Thomas Ministries (NTM), as well as many other religious groups and denominations. Because of the modernities that the military in World War II brought with them when they came to the islands, several cargo cults developed. Many died out, but the John Frum cult on Tanna is still large, and has adherents in the parliament. Also on Tanna is the Prince Philip Movement, which reveres the United Kingdom's Prince Philip.[47] Villagers of the Yaohnanen tribe believed in an ancient story about the pale-skinned son of a mountain spirit venturing across the seas to look for a powerful woman to marry. Prince Philip, having visited the island with his new wife Queen Elizabeth, fit the description exactly and is therefore revered and even held as a god around the isle of Tanna.[48][49]

[edit] Government
[edit] Administrative divisions
Main article: Provinces of Vanuatu

Provinces of Vanuatu Vanuatu has been divided into six provinces since 1994. The names in English of all provinces are derived from the initial letters of their constituent islands:

Malampa (Malakula, Ambrym, Paama) Penama (Pentecost, Ambae, Maewo in French: Pnama) Sanma (Santo, Malo) Shefa (Shepherds group, Efate in French: Shfa) Tafea (Tanna, Aniwa, Futuna, Erromango, Aneityum in French: Tafa) Torba (Torres islands, Banks islands)

Provinces are autonomous units with their own popularly elected local parliaments known officially as provincial councils. They collect local taxes and make by-laws in local matters like tourism, the provincial budget or the provision of some basic services. They are headed by a chairman elected from among the members of the local parliaments and assisted by a secretary appointed by the Public Service Commission. Their executive arm consists of a provincial government headed by an executive officer who is appointed by the Prime Minister with the advice of the minister of local government. The provincial government is usually formed by the party that has the majority in the provincial council and, like the national government, is advised in Ni-Vanuatu culture and language by the local council of chiefs. The provincial president is constitutionally a member of the electoral college that elects the President of Vanuatu. The provinces are in turn divided into municipalities (usually consisting of an individual island) headed by a council and a mayor elected from among the members of the council.

[edit] Politics
Main article: Politics of Vanuatu

The Parliament of Vanuatu

Map of Vanuatu The Republic of Vanuatu is a parliamentary democracy with a written constitution, which declares that the "head of the Republic shall be known as the President and shall symbolise the unity of the nation." The powers of the President of Vanuatu, who is elected for a 5-year term by a two-thirds majority of an electoral college, are primarily ceremonial.[50] The electoral college consists of members of Parliament and the presidents of Regional Councils. 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 threefourths quorum of the Parliament. The prime minister, in turn, appoints the Council of Ministers, whose number may not exceed a quarter of the number of parliamentary representatives. The prime minister and the Council of Ministers constitute the executive government. The Parliament of Vanuatu is unicameral and has 54 members, who are elected by popular vote every four years unless earlier dissolved by a majority vote of a three-quarters quorum or by 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.

Besides national authorities and figures, Vanuatu also has high-placed people at the village level. Chiefs were and are still the leading figures on village level. It has been reported that even politicians need to oblige them.[51] One becomes such a figure by holding a number of lavish feasts (each feast allowing them a higher ceremonial grade) or alternatively through inheritance (the latter only in Polynesian-influenced villages). In northern Vanuatu, feasts are graded through the nimangki-system. Government and society in Vanuatu tend to divide along linguistic French and English lines. Forming coalition governments, however, has proved problematic at times due to differences between English and French speakers. 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 common law and French civil law. The constitution also provides for the establishment of village or island courts presided over by chiefs to deal with questions of customary law.

[edit] Foreign relations and military

Main article: Foreign relations of Vanuatu Vanuatu has joined the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Agence de Coopration Culturelle et Technique, la Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations. Since 1980, Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), France, and New Zealand have provided the bulk of Vanuatu's development aid. Direct aid from the UK to Vanuatu ceased in 2005 following the decision by the UK to no longer focus on the Pacific. However, more recently new donors such as the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the People's Republic of China have been providing increased amounts of aid funding. In 2005 the MCA announced that Vanuatu was one of the first 15 countries in the world selected to receive supportan amount of US$65 million was given for the provision and upgrading of key pieces of public infrastructure. Vanuatu retains strong economic and cultural ties to Australia, the European Union (in particular France and UK) and New Zealand. Australia now provides the bulk of external assistance, including to the police force, which has a paramilitary wing. Vanuatu's military consist of a small, mobile, corps of 300 volunteers, the Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF), which forms part of the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF). Total military expenditures are not available. There is no Vanuatu High Commission or other Vanuatu Government office in Britain, but the British Friends of Vanuatu,[52] based in the London area, provides support for Vanuatu visitors to the UK, and can often offer advice and contacts to persons seeking information about Vanuatu or wishing to visit it, and welcomes new members (not necesarily resident in the UK) interested in Vanuatu. The association's Charitable Trust funds small scale assistance in the education and training sector.

[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Vanuatu

A market in Port Vila The four mainstays of the economy are agriculture, tourism, offshore financial services, and cattle raising. There is substantial fishing activity, although this industry does not bring in much foreign exchange. Exports include copra, kava, beef, cocoa, and timber, and imports include machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, and fuels.[53] In contrast, mining activity is unsubstantial. While manganese mining halted in 1978, there was an agreement in 2006 to export manganese already mined but not yet exported.[53] 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 VAT on goods and services. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances between constituent islands and from main markets. Agriculture is used primarily for consumption as well as for export. It provides a living for 65% of the population. In particular, production of copra and kava create substantial revenue. Many farmers have been abandoning cultivation of food crops, and use earnings from kava cultivation to buy food.[51] Kava has also been used in ceremonial exchanges between clans and villages.[54] Cocoa is also grown for foreign exchange.[55] In 2007, the number of households engaged in fishing was 15,758, mainly for consumption (99%), and the average number of weekly fishing trips was 3.[56] The tropical climate enables growing of a wide range of fruits and vegetables and spices, including banana, garlic, cabbage, peanuts, pineapples, sugarcane, taro, yams, watermelons, leaf spices, carrots, radishes, eggplants, vanilla (both green and cured), pepper, cucumber, and many others.[57] In 2007, the value (in terms of millions of vatu the official currency of Vanuatu), for agricultural products, was estimated for different products: kava (341 million vatu), copra (195), cattle (135), crop gardens (93), cocoa (59), forestry (56), fishing (24), coffee (12).[58] Tourism brings in much-needed foreign exchange. Vanuatu is widely recognized as one of the premier vacation destinations for scuba divers wishing to explore coral reefs of the South Pacific region. Tourism increased 17% from 2007 to 2008 to reach 196,134 arrivals, according to one estimate.[59] The 2008 total is a sharp increase from 2000, in which there were only 57,000 visitors (of these, 37,000 were from Australia, 8,000 from New Zealand, 6,000 from New Caledonia, 3,000 from Europe, 1,000 from North America, 1,000 from Japan. (Note: figures rounded to the nearest thousand).[60] Tourism has been promoted, in part, by Vanuatu being the site of several reality-TV shows. The ninth season of the reality TV series Survivor was filmed

on Vanuatu, entitled Survivor: VanuatuIslands of Fire. Two years later, Australia's Celebrity Survivor was filmed at the same location used by the U.S. version. In mid-2002, the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Financial services are an important part of the economy. Vanuatu is a tax haven that until 2008 did not release account information to other governments or law-enforcement agencies. International pressure, mainly from Australia, influenced the Vanuatu government to begin adhering to international norms to improve transparency. In Vanuatu, there is no income tax, withholding tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, or exchange control. Many international shipmanagement companies choose to flag their ships under the Vanuatu flag, because of the tax benefits and favorable labor laws (Vanuatu is a full member of the International Maritime Organization and applies its international conventions). Vanuatu is recognized as one of the largest and most notorious[dubious discuss] "flag of convenience" countries.[61] Several file-sharing groups, such as the providers of the KaZaA network of Sharman Networks and the developers of WinMX, have chosen to incorporate in Vanuatu to avoid regulation and legal challenges. In response to foreign concerns the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial centre. Vanuatu receives foreign aid mainly from Australia and New Zealand.

Commercial agriculture, North Efate Cattle raising leads to beef production for export. One estimate in 2007 for the total value of cattle heads sold was 135 million vatu; cattle were first introduced into the area from Australia by British planter James Paddon.[62] On average, each household has 5 pigs and 16 chickens, and while cattle are the "most important livestock", pigs and chickens are important for subsistence agriculture as well as playing a significant role in ceremonies and customs (especially pigs).[63] There are 30 commercial farms (sole proprietorships (37%), partnerships (23%), corporations (17%), with revenues of 533 million vatu and expenses of 329 million vatu in 2007.[64] Earthquakes can negatively affect economic activity on the island nation. A severe earthquake in November 1999, followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecost, leaving thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused

extensive damage in the capital, Port Vila, and surrounding areas, and was also followed by a tsunami. Another earthquake of 7.2 struck on 2 August 2007.[65] The Vanuatu National Statistics Office (VNSO) released their 2007 agricultural census in 2008. According to the study, agricultural exports make up about three-quarters (73%) of all exports; 80% of the population lives in rural areas where "agriculture is the main source of their livelihood"; and of these households, almost all (99%) engaged in agriculture, fisheries and forestry.[66] Total annual household income was 1,803 millions of vatu. Of this income, agriculture grown for their own household use was valued at 683 million vatu, agriculture for sale at 561, gifts received at 38, handicrafts at 33, fisheries (for sale) at 18.[66] The largest expenditure by households was food 300 million vatu, followed by household appliances and other necessities (79 million vatu), transportation (59), education and services (56), housing (50), alcohol and tobacco (39), clothing and footwear (17).[67] Exports were valued at 3,038 million vatu, and included copra (485), kava (442), cocoa (221), beef (fresh and chilled) (180), timber (80), fish (live fish, aquarium, shell, button) (28).[68] Total imports of 20,472 million vatu included industrial materials (4,261), food and drink (3,984), machinery (3,087), consumer goods (2,767), transport equipment (2,125), fuels and lubricants (187) and other imports (4,060).[69] There are substantial numbers of crop gardens 97,888 in 2007 many on flat land (62%), slightly hilly slope (31%), and even on steep slopes (7%); there were 33,570 households with at least one crop garden, and of these, 10.788 households sold some of these crops over a twelve month period.[70] The economy grew about 6% in the early 2000s.[71] This is higher than in the 1990s, when GDP rose less than 3%, on average. One report from the Manila-based Asian Development Bank about Vanuatu's economy gave mixed reviews. It noted the economy was "expanding", noting that the economy grew at an impressive 5.9% rate from 2003 to 2007, and lauded "positive signals regarding reform initiatives from the government in some areas" but described certain binding constraints such as "poor infrastructure services". Since a private monopoly generates power, "electricity costs are among the highest in the Pacific" among developing countries. The report also cited "weak governance and intrusive interventions by the State" which reduced productivity.[71] Vanuatu was ranked the 173rd safest investment destination in the world in the March 2011 Euromoney Country Risk rankings.[72]

[edit] Communications
Mobile phone service in the islands is provided by TVL and Digicel. A government network is under construction, to provide email, telephone, internet and video conferencing facilities to government offices throughout the country.[73]

[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Vanuatu

Wooden slit drums from Vanuatu, Bernice P. Bishop Museum Vanuatu culture retains a strong diversity 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. Pigs, particularly those with rounded tusks, are considered a symbol of wealth throughout Vanuatu. In the centre, more traditional Melanesian cultural systems dominate. In the south, a system involving grants of title with associated privileges has developed.[46] Young men undergo various coming-of-age ceremonies and rituals [74] to initiate them into manhood, usually including circumcision. Most villages have a nakamal or village clubhouse which serves as a meeting point for men and as a place to drink kava. Villages also have male and female-only sections. These sections are situated all over the villages; in nakamals, special spaces are provided for females when they are in their menstruation period. The traditional music of Vanuatu is still thriving in the rural areas of Vanuatu. Musical instruments consist mostly of idiophones: drums of various shape and size, slit gongs, as well as rattles, among others. Another musical genre that has become widely popular during the 20th century in all areas of Vanuatu, is known as string band music. It combines guitars, ukulele, and popular songs. More recently the music of Vanuatu, as an industry, grew rapidly in the 1990s and several bands have forged a distinctive ni-Vanuatu identity. Popular genres of modern commercial music, which are currently being played in town include zouk music and reggaeton. Reggaeton, a variation of hip-hop rapped in Spanish language, played alongside its own distinctive beat, is especially played in the local nightclubs of Vanuatu with, mostly, an audience of Westerners and tourists.

There are few prominent ni-Vanuatu authors. Women's rights activist Grace Mera Molisa, who died in 2002, achieved international notability as a descriptive poet. Cricket is very popular in Vanuatu, with its own national team. There are 8000 registered cricketers.[75] There is also some rugby union played in Vanuatu. Sport varies depending on the gender of those involved. Volleyball is considered a 'girls' sport' and males play soccer. The cuisine of Vanuatu (aelan kakae) incorporates fish, root vegetables such as taro and yams, fruits, and vegetables.[13] Most island families grow food in their gardens, and food shortages are rare.[13] Papayas, pineapples, mangoes, plantains, and sweet potatoes are abundant through much of the year.[13] Coconut milk and cream are used to flavor many dishes.[13] Most food is cooked using hot stones or through boiling and steaming; very little food is fried.[13]

[edit] Health and education

Vanuatu has a tropical climate and over 80% of the population lives in rural, isolated villages with access to their own gardens and food supplies. These geographically isolated communities have minimal access to basic health and education services. Churches and non-government organizations provide a minimal level of support to many rural villages. Vanuatu government health and education services are hard pressed to deal with the rapid increase of urban and periurban populations in informal and squatter settlements around Port Vila and to a lesser extent in Luganville.[76] Health services in Port Vila and Luganville provide reasonable health care, often supported and enhanced by visiting doctors. Education is not compulsory, and school enrollments and attendance are among the lowest in the Pacific. A 1999 estimate for the literacy rate of people aged 1524 years was about 87% and a 2006 estimate for adult literacy was 78% in 2006, although the actual figures are likely to be much lower. The rate of primary school enrollment rose from 74.5% in 1989 to 78.2% in 1999 and then to 93.0% in 2004 but then fell to 85.4% in 2007. The proportion of pupils completing a primary education fell from 90% in 1991 to 72% in 2004.[76] In Port Vila, and three other centres, are locations of the University of the South Pacific, an educational institution co-owned by twelve Pacific countries. The campus in Port Vila, known as the Emalus Campus, houses the University's law school. Introduction ::Vanuatu Background: Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. 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, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted. Economy - overview:

This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for about two-thirds of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with nearly 197,000 visitors in 2008, 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. 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 through improved air connections, resort development, and cruise ship facilities. 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): $1.137 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 196 $1.113 billion (2009 est.) $1.075 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate): $693 million (2010 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.2% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 142 3.5% (2009 est.) 6.2% (2008 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,100 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 146 $5,100 (2009 est.) $5,000 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21.3% industry: 10.4% services: 68.3% (2010 est.) Labor force: 115,900 (2007) country comparison to the world: 180 Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 1.7% (1999) country comparison to the world: 10 Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Investment (gross fixed): 21.9% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 Budget: revenues: $78.7 million expenditures: $72.23 million (2005 est.) Taxes and other revenues: 11.4% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 200 Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): 0.9% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 33 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 93 4.2% (2009 est.) Central bank discount rate: 20% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 67 6% (31 December 2009 est.) Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.5% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 156 5.5% (31 December 2009 est.) Stock of narrow money: $149.2 million (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 178 $117.8 million (31 December 2009 est.) Stock of broad money: $607.1 million (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

$614.2 million (31 December 2009 est.) Stock of domestic credit: $439.1 million (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 167 $378.8 million (31 December 2009 est.) Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA Agriculture - products: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish Industries: food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning Electricity - production: 43 million kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 204 Electricity - consumption: 39.99 million kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 204 Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.) Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 144 Oil - consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 202 Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 207 Oil - imports: 761 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 196 Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 173

Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 107 Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 140 Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 152 Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 160 Natural gas - proved reserves: 0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 174 Current account balance: -$60 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 72 Exports: $40 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 198 Exports - commodities: copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee Exports - partners: Thailand 57.4%, Japan 24.8% (2010) Imports: $156 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 206 Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels Imports - partners: Australia 18.4%, Singapore 17.6%, Japan 12.9%, NZ 8.6%, Fiji 8.2%, China 6.2%, US 5.2%, New Caledonia 4.6% (2010) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $161.4 million (2003) country comparison to the world: 169 $148.6 million (31 December 2009 est.) Debt - external:

$81.2 million (2004) country comparison to the world: 186 Exchange rates: vatu (VUV) per US dollar 97.93 (2009) NA (2007) 111.93 (2006) NA (2005) 111.79 (2004)

Vanuatu country brief

Introduction
Vanuatu is an archipelagic nation of about 80 islands in a Y-shaped chain, extending over 1000 kilometres in a north-south direction between the equator and the tropic of Capricorn. It lies some 2000 kilometres to the northeast of Brisbane in the Coral Sea, at similar latitudes to Cairns and North Queensland. Formerly known as the New Hebrides, Vanuatu was jointly governed by both British and French administrations before attaining independence on 30 July 1980.

Political overview
Government
The President of the Republic (Constitutional Head of State) is elected for a five-year term through secret ballot by an electoral college comprising Parliament and the Presidents of Vanuatu's six provincial governments. The current President, HE Iolu Johnson Abbil Kaniapnin, was elected on 2 September 2009. Vanuatu has a unicameral 52-member Parliament, elected to a four year term by universal adult suffrage.

Recent political developments

Vanuatu held national elections on 2 September 2008. On 22 September 2008, Edward Natapei was elected Prime Minister by two votes in a secret ballot at the first sitting of the new parliament. After facing numerous votes of no confidence the Natapei government was defeated on 2 December 2010. The Deputy Prime Minister under the Natapei government, Sato Kilman, (People's Progressive Party) became the new Prime Minister. The Kilman-led government is a loose alliance of eight parties.

Economic overview
Vanuatu's economic growth continues to be driven largely by tourism and construction. After negative growth in the early 2000s, Vanuatu's economy (real GDP) grew by 6.3 per cent in 2008, slowing to 3.6 per cent in 2009 and 3.0 per cent in 2010 due to the impact of the global recession. GDP per capita for 2010 was US$2917, up from US$2643 in 2009. Future growth is projected to be 3.75 per cent in 2011, strengthening further in 2012 (IMF/EIU forecast). While Vanuatu's economic growth is starting to become more broad-based, it remains centred on tourism. Tourism and tourism- related services sectors (wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, and transport and communication) account for approximately 40 per cent of GDP. The arrival of Pacific Blue into the aviation market in September 2004 stimulated competition. Fares fell and air tourist arrivals increased by 21 per cent in its first year of operation. In 2008, Vanuatu recorded over 100 000 air arrivals for the first time with air arrivals increasing to 119 000 in 2010. Increasing investment in new boutique-style hotels, refurbishment of larger resorts, stronger interest in locally-owned bungalows and industry interest in the backpacker market also point to further growth in this industry. Tourism and related sectors employ around 10 000 people; making up well over a third of formal employment. Continuing growth in Vanuatu's tourism sector will be crucial to providing further employment opportunities for Vanuatu's young and rapidly growing population (60 per cent of which is under 25 years). Increased tourism has had direct and indirect benefits for the wider economy, but there are concerns within Government that Vanuatu has become too reliant on tourism whose infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. The construction sector is also driving growth in the Vanuatu economy. This sector will continue to grow in 2011 and 2012 at an average rate of 11 per cent each year. The private sector is driving construction activity with large retail and residential projects currently underway. The Vanuatu Government will also commence a number of major donor-funded construction projects in 2011. Development has largely been focused on the island of Efate, particularly the capital Port Vila. Land speculation has become a political issue, illustrated by the Government's decision to place a moratorium on the leasing of all disputed land in July 2010.

Fiscal reform has led to better management systems

Vanuatu's economic reform in recent years has led to a major improvement in the management of its public sector finances, with expenditure now more carefully controlled through an accountable and transparent process. Vanuatu adopted a new fiscal format, part of which was the introduction of a Value Added Tax, on 1 August 1998, as well as reform of its tariff structure. A new program-budgeting format was introduced in 1998 and Vanuatu now has an integrated recurrent development budget, incorporating expenditure funded from domestic and external sources. A limited revenue base continues to constrain government efforts to deliver services and implement reforms, The government continues to make efforts to increase revenue through improvements in tax collection and compliance.

Bilateral relationship

Australia has an important and close relationship with Vanuatu. Australia is the largest aid donor and the main source of tourists (65 %) and investment. There is also a significant resident population of Australians (approximately 1300). Australia and Vanuatu enjoy a very broad range of links at government, business and community levels.

Recent visits
The Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, the Hon Richard Marles MP, visited Vanuatu in October 2010 and again in February 2011 to attend the meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum Ministerial Contact Group on Fiji. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith led the Australian Delegation at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Port Vila 4-6 August 2010, which was also attended by former Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance Bob McMullan. Immediately prior to the PIF, the Governor-General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, visited Vanuatu to attend Vanuatu's 30th Anniversary of Independence celebrations on 29-30 July 2010. In February 2010, Mr McMullan visited Vanuatu in February to consult his counterparts on development issues, including the Cairns Compact. Vanuatu Attorney-General Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau and former Finance Minister Sela Molisa visited Australia in April 2010 to sign a Tax Information Exchange Agreement with Australia. Former Vanuatu Prime Minister Edward Natapei and former Foreign Minister Natuman visited Australia for the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns 5-7 August 2009. Natapei, who is currently Leader of the Opposition, also visited Australia as a Guest of Government for the signing of the Australia-Vanuatu Partnership for Development with (then) Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in Canberra on 27 May 2009.

Development assistance
Official Development Assistance (aid) from Australia to Vanuatu has increased in recent years, with the Australian Government allocating A$66 million in 2010-11. This includes A$50 million for the bilateral program. Australia's development assistance in Vanuatu is governed by the Australia-Vanuatu Partnership for Development, which was signed at prime ministerial level in 2009. This Partnership has seen some significant early results: continuing economic growth, rising tourism numbers, expansion of telecommunications services (even as costs have decreased) and a rise in the number of children attending primary school. The Partnership for Development is intended to accelerate progress towards the UN Millennium Development Goals. It emphasises the principles of mutual respect and mutual responsibility, and is consistent with the Vanuatu Government's own development plan, the Priorities and Action Agenda 2006-2015. The joint priorities of the partnership are education, infrastructure, economic governance, health and law and justice.

A key feature of Australia's development assistance to Vanuatu is the Governance for Growth (GFG) program. Through GFG, Vanuatu and Australia are working jointly to identify and overcome governance obstacles to broad-based growth, effective service delivery and poverty reduction. The program draws on a wide range of aid modalities including technical assistance, grants, direct investment as incentives, and brokering the involvement of international organisations and other donors. AusAID, through the GFG program, provided support to end the telecommunications monopoly in Vanuatu in 2007-08, which has massively expanded access to telecommunications in rural areas. The introduction of competition has led to a decrease in costs and greater coverage: the proportion of Vanuatu's population with access to mobile telephony increased from 20 per cent in 2007 to approximately 90 per cent in 2010. Beginning in 2009, the Vanuatu Transport Sector Support Program is designed to tackle infrastructure constraints and enhance economic growth. Major industries such as tourism have benefitted from improved roads, more reliable shipping services and more efficient wharves. In the health sector, maternal mortality at Vila Central Hospital has continued to fall and Australia is helping address a major nurse shortage across Vanuatu by doubling the student nurse intake. The Pacific Malaria Program has made strong early progress in contributing to a reduced malaria death rate. An important element of Australia's longstanding support for agencies of the law and justice sector has been support for the Vanuatu Police Force by AusAID through the engagement of long term advisors provided by the Australian Federal Police. This has extended the reach of police operations in rural Vanuatu, as well as in the urban centres of Port Vila and Luganville. The project has also assisted the VPF both with professional development of its executive and by providing activities focused on infrastructure in the form of police stations/posts, accommodation requirements, refurbishments, communications systems, vehicles and marine capability in the form of donated vessels to meet the requirements of remote communities. Community partnerships with the Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs, National Christian Council, Vanuatu Women's Centre, and the local NGO Won Smolbag underpin the priority outcomes of the bilateral partnership, foster public engagement in policy-making and build the demand for better governance. Advancing gender equality is a core feature of all AusAID programs in Vanuatu. Australia is working with the Vanuatu Government and women's organisations to improve women's participation in decision-making, economic empowerment, and to reduce the high rates of violence against women.

Defence cooperation
Australia's Defence Cooperation Program with Vanuatu was established in 1983 and comprises a number of elements. Australia assists Vanuatu in maintaining and operating its Pacific Patrol Boat, donated by Australia in 1987, with two Royal Australian Navy advisers located in Vanuatu. Australia also provides assistance to the Mobile Force element of the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF), as well as providing support to exercises and infrastructure projects.

Bilateral economic and trade relationship

Vanuatu remains a modest market for Australia with some growth potential, dependent largely on economic growth and development in Vanuatu. Australian exports to Vanuatu in 2009-10 totalled A$69 million. Australian imports from Vanuatu in the same period totalled A$0.95 million. Australia is the major source of foreign investment in the Vanuatu economy with a focus on agriculture, tourism, finance and construction. Two thirds of long stay tourists to Vanuatu and almost all cruise ship passengers are Australian. In August 2008 Vanuatu was selected (along with Tonga, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea) to participate in the Australian Government's Pacific Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme (PSWPS). The first small group of ni-Vanuatu workers were in Australia from April to October 2009 and two further group of workers arrived in Australia in October 2010 and February 2011.

Foreign relations
Vanuatu joined the Commonwealth and the Pacific Islands Forum at the time of its independence in 1980. Vanuatu is also a member of La Francophonie, the United Nations and several specialised agencies, and of the Non-Aligned Movement. Vanuatu is a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) grouping enjoying special relations with the European Union. Vanuatu has also resumed its accession process to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) after withdrawing its bid several years ago. Resident diplomatic missions in Port Vila are maintained by Australia, France, New Zealand, the People's Republic of China and the European Union. Vanuatu currently has diplomatic offices in Beijing, Brussels, Suva, New Zealand, Noumea and the United Nations in New York, as well as a number of honorary consulates, including one in Sydney. The Vanuatu Government plans to establish a High Commission in Canberra in mid 2011. Members of the Vanuatu Police Force, including the Mobile Force, have served in UN Peacekeeping missions in East Timor, Haiti, Sudan and Bosnia, in the Peace Monitoring Group and Transition Team in Bougainville, and in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG)

Vanuatu has been a strong supporter of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) as a reference point for Vanuatu's regional policies and the MSG Trade Agreement provides for free trade in goods produced by Melanesian countries. Vanuatu and other MSG members (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and the Front de Liberation National Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) of New Caledonia) signed an MSG Constitution in Vanuatu on 23 March 2007.

A new MSG Secretariat building was opened in Port Vila on 30 May 2008.

Visitor information
Australians visiting Vanuatu do not need to apply for a visa prior to travel to Vanuatu as tourist visas are given on arrival in Port Vila. Australian passport holders are permitted to stay in Vanuatu for up to four months provided they can produce evidence of an onward air or sea ticket. Vanuatu's currency is the Vatu. Australian currency is accepted in some establishments in Port Vila and is easily exchanged at banks, money changers and the larger hotels.

Websites
Australians wishing to visit Vanuatu should consult our travel advice at Smartraveller and the Australian High Commission in Port Vila website.

Ads by Google Home cooked seasonal food Derbyshire Dales sourced produce Freshly cooked to order www.thecrowninnderbyshire.co.uk Trace your ancestry Discover your ancestry, find long lost relatives, family tree search. www.GeneBase.com Explore the BEST of PR Snorkeling, Island & Bio bay trips Food & beverages included www.eastwindcats.com Hot Mexican Girls to Date Beautiful Girls. Great Dates. Sign Up &Find a Girl of your dreams AmoLatina.com Identification. The name "Vanuatu" is an important aspect of national identity. Leaders of the Vanua'aku Party, which led the first independent government, invented the term in 1980 to replace the colonial name New Hebrides. Vanua means "land" in many of Vanuatu's one hundred five languages, and translations of the new name include "Our Land" and "Abiding Land." Culturally, Vanuatu is complex. Some of the people follow matrilineal descent rules, while others follow patrilineal rules. Leadership on some islands depends on advancement within men's societies, and in others it depends on possession of chiefly titles or personal ability.

Although most people depend on subsistence farming and fishing, the economy of the seaboard differs from that of interior mountain plateaus. Political leaders have consciously cultivated national culture to foster a national identity, including political slogans such as "Unity in Diversity." Many rural people, however, are attached primarily to their home islands, while educated urbanites, refer to supranational identities such as Melanesian. Location and Geography. Vanuatu is a Y-shaped tropical archipelago of over eighty islands, sixty-five of which are inhabited. The Solomon Islands lie to the north, New Caledonia to the south, Fiji to the east, and the Coral Sea and Australia to the west. The mostly volcanic archipelago extends 560 miles (900 kilometers) from north to south and has an area of 5,700 square miles (14,760 square kilometers). Espiritu Santo is the largest island. Port Vila, the capital, which was also the colonial headquarters, is on the south-central island of Efate. Demography. The 1997 population of 185,000 is 94 percent Melanesian, 4 percent European (mostly French), and 4 percent other (Vietnamese, Chinese, and other Pacific Islander). Linguistic Affiliation. Bislama, the nation's pidgin English which emerged in the nineteenth century, is essential for public discourse. Many aspects of the national culture are phrased in Bislama, which has become an important marker of national identity. Alongside Bislama, English and French are recognized as "official languages." These languages overlie one hundred five indigenous Austronesian languages, three of which are Polynesian in origin. There are strong links between local language, place, and identity, but many people are multilingual. Most children pursue elementary schooling in English or French, although few residents are fluent in either language. Most national discourse takes place in Bislama, which is becoming creolized. Symbolism. The politicians who forged independence emphasized shared culture ( kastom ) and shared Christianity to create a national identity and iconography. The national motto is Long God Yumi Stanap ("In (or with) God We Stand/Develop"). Leaders of the Vanua'aku Party, which governed during the nation's first eleven years, came mostly from the central and northern areas. Objects selected to represent the nation come principally from those regions, including circle pig tusks, palm leaves, and carved slit gongs. The name of the national currency, the vatu ("stone") derives from central northern languages, as does the name "Vanuatu." After independence, holidays were established to celebrate the nation and promote national identity and unity.

History and Ethnic Relations

Emergence of the Nation. The New Hebrides was a unique "condominium" colony ruled jointly by Great Britain and France after 1906. Although they instituted a joint court and a few other combined services, each ran separate and parallel administrative

Vanuatu bureaucracies, medical systems, police forces, and school systems. Competition and conflict between Anglophones and Francophones culminated in the 1970s, when both groups backed different political parties in the run-up to independence. The French had greatly expanded their educational system, leaving a legacy of Francophones who commonly find themselves opposed politically to their Anglophone compatriots. The main parties in favor of independence in the 1970s were British-supported and Anglophone, drawing on English and Protestant roots more than on French and Roman Catholic. Still, all the citizens distinguish themselves from European colonialists as they assume their national identity. Since independence, the French have provided aid in periods when the country has been ruled by Francophone political parties. Australia and New Zealand have largely replaced British assistance and influence. Ethnic Relations. A relatively small population of Vietnamese (which the French recruited as plantation workers beginning in the 1920s) and overseas Chinese control a significant proportion of the economies of Port Vila and Luganville. These wealthy families are linked by kinship, economic, and other relations with the majority Melanesian population.

Urbanism, Architecture, and the Use of Space

Vanuatu is still a rural country. Most ni-Vanuatu live on their home islands, although the population of the two towns has increased significantly since independence. Town layout and architecture reflect French and British sensibilities. A huge American military base that grew up around Luganville during the World War II still displays that heritage. Rural architecture remains largely traditional. Local notions of gender and rank influence village layout. Women's mobility is more restricted than that of men, and in many churches, men and women sit on opposite sides of a central aisle. People use "bush" materials in the construction of housing, although they also use cement brick and aluminum sheet roofing. Houses have one or two rooms for sleeping and storage. Cooking is done in fireplaces or lean-to kitchens outdoors. After independence, the government erected several public buildings, including a national museum, the House of Parliament, and the House of Custom Chiefs. These buildings incorporate slit gongs and other architectural details that display the cultural heritage. The latter two also model the traditional nakamal (men's house or meeting ground), a ritual space where public discussion and decision making take place. In many cultures, men and occasionally women retire each evening to the nakamal to prepare and drink kava, an infusion of the pepper plant. Scores of urban kava bars have opened in Port Vila, Luganville, and government centers around the islands. Employed urbanites gather there at the end of the day, just as their rural kin congregate at nakamal on their home islands.

Food and Economy

Food in Daily Life. Ni-Vanuatu combine traditional south Pacific cuisine with introduced elements. Before contact with the West, staple foods included yam, taro, banana, coconut, sugarcane, tropical nuts, greens, pigs, fowl, and seafood. After contact, other tropical crops (manioc, plantain, sweet potato, papaya, mango) and temperate crops (cabbage, beans, corn, peppers, carrots, pumpkin) were added to the diet. Rural people typically produce most of what they eat, supplementing this with luxury foods (rice and tinned fish) purchased in stores. The urban diet relies on rice, bread, and tinned fish supplemented with rural products. Port Vila, and Luganville have restaurants that serve mostly the foreign and tourist communities. Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Ceremonies typically involve an exchange of food, such as the traditional taro and yam, kava, fowl, pigs, and chicken, along with a feast. Pigs are exchanged and eaten at all important ritual occasions. The national ceremonial dish is laplap , pudding made of grated root crops or plantain mixed with coconut milk and sometimes greens and meat, wrapped in leaves, and baked for hours in a traditional earth oven. In rural areas, during the week many people rely on simple boiling to cook roots and greens. On weekends, they prepare earth ovens and bake laplap for the evening meal and a Sunday feast. The exchange, preparation, and consumption of kava are integral parts of ceremonial occasions. Basic Economy. Most ni-Vanuatu are subsistence farmers who do cash cropping on the side. The mode of production is swidden ("slash-and burn") horticulture, with farmers clearing and then burning new forest plots each season. Vanuatu has significant economic difficulties. Transportation costs are high, the economic infrastructure is undeveloped, and cyclone damage is common. Major export crops include copra, beef, tropical woods, squash, and cacao. Vanuatu is a tax haven that earns income from company registrations and fees and an offshore shipping

registry. Tourism has become a major growth area. The government remains the largest employer of wage labor, and few employment activities exist outside the towns and regional government centers. Land Tenure and Property. After independence, all alienated plantation land reverted to the customary owners. Only citizens may own land, although they can lease it to foreigners and investors. Generally, land belongs jointly to the members of lineages or other kin groups. Men typically have greater management fights to land than do women, although women may control land, particularly in matrilineal areas. Commercial Activities, Major Industries, and Trade. Rural families produce cash crops (coconut, cacao, coffee, and foodstuffs) for sale in local markets. The opening of urban kava bars has stimulated an internal market for kava. With the growing tourist industry, there is a small market for traditional handicrafts, including woven baskets and mats, wood cavings, and jewelry. Manufacturing and industry contribute only 5 to 9 percent of the gross domestic product, and this mostly consists of fish, beef, and wood processing for export. The major trade partners are Australia, Japan, France, New Zealand, and New Caledonia

Social Stratification
Chiefly status exists in many of the indigenous cultures, though differences between chiefly and commoner lineages are slight. Symbolically, a man and his family's possession of a title is often marked in details of dance costume, adornment, and architecture. Leadership in the north rests largely on a man's success in "graded societies" which able individuals work their way up a ladder of status grades by killing and exchanging circle-tusked pigs. In the central and southern regions, the acquisition of titles also depends on individual effort and ability. Everywhere leadership correlates with ability, gender, and age, with able, older men typically being the most influential members of their villages. Since rural society is still rooted in subsistence agriculture, economic and political inequalities are muted. However, there is increasing economic stratification between the educated and employed, most of whom live in urban areas, and rural subsistence farmers. The middle-class elite is relatively small, and urbanites remain connected by important kin ties to their villages.

Political Life
Government. Vanuatu is a republic with a unicameral parliament with fifty seats. An electoral college elects a nonexecutive president every five years. There are six regions whose elected councils share responsibility for local governance with the national government. An elected national council of chiefs, the Malvatumaori, advises the parliament on land tenure and customs. Leadership and Political Officials. Since independence, elected officials have mostly been educated younger men who were originally pastors and leaders of Christian churches. The elders remain in the islands, serving as village chiefs, though the

Children from the Jon Frum Cargo Cult Village play in the black sand beach on Tanna Island, which is a short distance from the active volcano Yasur. Vanuatu is a mostly volcanic archipelago of over eighty islands. country's prime ministers, presidents, and members of parliament have typically acquired honorary chiefly titles from various regions. Social Problems and Control. The pattern of "circular migration" between rural village and urban center from the colonial era has broken down as more people have become permanent residents of Port Vila and Luganville. Many underemployed people live in periurban settlements, and urban migration has correlated with increasing rates of burglary and other property crimes. Demonstrations associated with political factions occur occasionally. The urban crime rate is very low. An informal system of "town chiefs" supplements the state police force and judiciary. Leading elders in the towns meet to resolve disputes and punish offenders. Punishment sometimes involves the informal banishment of an accused person back to his or her home island. Unofficial settlement procedures frequently are used to handle disputes in rural areas. Military Activity. The Vanuatu Mobile Force has been active only occasionally, mostly in international endeavors such as serving as peacekeepers.

Social Welfare and Change Programs

State and nongovernmental organizations have focused on developing economic infrastructure and public services. Most villages have no electricity, and many people lack access to piped water despite efforts to expand rural water systems. Several organizations work with rural youth and women. The National Council of Women sponsors programs to improve women's access to the cash economy and reduce domestic violence.

A number of international and nongovernmental organizations are active in Vanuatu. Many international donors are encouraging a comprehensive reform program to make government more efficient and honest and lower deficit spending.

Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations

The principal nongovernmental organizations are the Christian churches. Religious affiliation is second in importance only to kinship and neighborhood ties. A few labor unions have attempted to organize urban and rural salaried workers (such as schoolteachers) but have not been effective in industrial action and political campaigning.

Gender Roles and Statuses

Generally, women have less control of land and other property, are less mobile, and have less of a say in marriage. In the northern region, women participate in graded societies that parallel those of men. In matrilineal regions, women have better land and sea rights. Many ni-Vanuatu continue to believe in the deleterious, polluting effects of menstrual blood and other body fluids, and men and women sleep apart during women's menstrual periods, when women often give up cooking. Both men and women farm, although men are responsible for clearing forest and brush for new garden plots. Both men and women fish and reef gather, though only men undertake deep-sea fishing. Although women have excelled in the school system, men continue to monopolize economic and political leadership positions. Few women drive cars, and only a handful have been elected to the parliament and the regional and town councils. Women do much of the work in town and roadside marketplaces.

Marriage, Family, and Kinship

Marriage. The marriage rate approaches 100 percent. Traditionally, leaders of kin groups arrange the marriages of their children. Marriage is an important event in ongoing exchange relations between kin groups and neighborhoods and typically involves the exchange of goods. Some educated urban residents have adopted Western notions of romantic love and arrange their own marriages with or without family approval. Marriage rules identify certain kin groups as the source of appropriate spouses. In the southern region, marriage is patterned as "sister exchange," in which a man who marries a woman from another family owes a woman in return. In some cases, this woman is an actual sister who marries one of her brother's new wife's brothers; in other cases, the woman is a classificatory sister or even a future daughter. In other areas, notable amounts of goods (bride wealth) change hands, including money, pigs, kava, mats, food, and cotton cloth. Traditionally, powerful leading men might marry polygynously, although after missionization, monogamy became the norm. There are three types of marriages: religious, civil, and "customary." Divorce rates are very low. Domestic Unit. The nuclear family is the principal domestic unit, forming the basic household and being responsible for day-to-day economic production and consumption. Households, however, continue to rely on extended kin groups in significant

A mask from Vanuatu. There is a strong belief in the power of ancestral spirits. ways. Most people's access to land and sea rights derives from membership in lineages and clans. People call on extended kin as a labor pool when they build new houses, clear garden land, and raise money and collect goods for family exchanges (marriage, child initiation, funerals). Residence typically is patrivirilocal. Women move to live with their new husbands, who themselves live with their fathers' families. Formerly, many men and initiated boys lived in separate men's houses; today families typically live together as one unit. Both spouses may be involved in managing family affairs; men, however, citing custom and Christian scripture, typically assert basic authority their families. Inheritance. Except in urban areas, where inheritance is modeled on European precedent, people follow local customs. Land rights pass patrilineally or matrilineally to surviving members of kin groups. In some areas, people destroy much of dead person's goods. Surviving spouses and children inherit what is left. Kin Groups. Families are organized into larger patrilineages or matrilineages, patricians or matriclans, and moieties. Lineages tend to be localized in one or two villages, as kin live together on or near lineage land. The membership of larger clans is dispersed across a region or island.

Socialization
Infant Care. Babies often nurse until they are three years old. Both parents are involved in child care, but siblings, especially older sisters, do much of the carrying, feeding, and amusing of infants. Babies are held by caregivers almost constantly until they can walk. Physical punishment of children is not common. Younger children may strike their older siblings, while older siblings are restrained from hitting back. Child Rearing and Education. Many communities and ensure the growth of children through ritual initiation ceremonies that involve the exchange of pigs, mats, kava, and other goods

between a child's father's and mother's families. Boys age six to twelve typically undergo circumcision as part of a ritual event. Most children receive several years of primary education in English or French. Many walk to the nearest school or board there during the week. Less than 10 percent of children go on to attend one of the twenty-seven secondary schools. Higher Education. Tertiary education includes a teachers' training college, an agricultural school, several church seminaries, and a branch of the University of the South Pacific in Port Vila. A few students pursue university education abroad. The adult literacy rate has been estimated at 55 to 70 percent.

Etiquette
Customary relationships are lubricated by the exchange of goods, and visitors often receive food and other gifts that should be reciprocated. Lines in rural stores are often amorphous, but clerks commonly serve overseas visitors first. People passing on the trails or streets commonly greet one another, and the handshake is an important aspect of initial encounters. A woman traveling alone through the countryside may receive unwelcome attention from men.

Religion
Religious Beliefs. Most families have been Christian since the late nineteenth century. The largest denominations are Presbyterian, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Church of Christ. Baha'i and Mormon missionaries have attracted local followings. Some people reject Christianity and retain traditional religious practices. Others belong to syncretic religious organizations that mix Christianity and local belief. Nearly everyone maintains firm beliefs in the power and presence of ancestral spirits. Religious Practitioners. Christian priests, ministers, pastors, and deacons lead weekly services and conduct marriages and funerals. A number of people are recognized as clairvoyants and diviners, working sometimes within and sometimes outside the Christian churches. These people, who are often women, divine the causes of disease and other misfortunes, locate lost objects, and sometimes undertake antisorcery campaigns to uncover poesen (sorcery paraphernalia) hidden in a village. Other people specialize in rain, wind, earthquake, tidal wave, and other sorts of magical practice. Many ni-Vanuatu also suspect the existence of sorcerers. Rituals and Holy Places. Ni-Vanuatu celebrate the Christian calendar, particularly the Christmas and New Year's season, which they call Bonane .At the year's end, urbanites return to their home islands. In villages, people form choruses and visit neighboring hamlets to perform religious and secular songs. Ni-Vanuatu continue to celebrate traditional holidays. In many places, islanders organize firstfruit celebrations, particularly for the annual yam crop. The most spectacular celebration is the "land jump" on southern Pentecost Island. Tourists sometimes attend other traditional rites, such

the dancing and feasting that accompany male initiation and grade-taking ceremonies in many of the cultures and the Toka (or Nakwiari ), a large-scale exchange of pigs and kava celebrated with two days of dancing. Every community recognizes important places associated with ancestral and other spirits. These "taboo places" may be mountain peaks, offshore reef formations, or rocky outcroppings. People avoid these locations or treat them with respect. Death and the Afterlife. Nearly all families turn to Christian funerary ritual to bury their dead. Ancestral ghosts continue to haunt their descendants. Many people experience their spiritual presence and receive their advice in dreams.

Medicine and Health Care

The national health service emerged from the separate French and British colonial systems. Most sick people turn initially to local diviners and healers

Villagers congregate in the protection of the shade on Ambrym Island. Households rely on extended kin groups.

who determine whether the source of disease is supernatural or natural and concoct medicines. Folk pharmacology includes hundreds of medical recipes, mostly infusions of leaves and other plant material.

Secular Celebrations
In addition to Independence Day (30 July), Constitution Day (5 October), and Unity Day (29 November), the government has established Family Day (26 December) and Custom Chiefs Day (5 March). Organized and impromptu sports matches are popular, as are money-raising carnivals, agricultural fairs, and arts festivals.

The Arts and Humanities

Literature. Although nineteenth-century missionaries created orthographies and dictionaries for some of the languages, indigenous literature is mostly oral. Ni-Vanuatu appreciate oratory and storytelling and have large archives of oral tales, myths, and legends. Since independence, an orthography committee has attempted to standardize Bislama spelling. Publications mostly consist of biblical material and newspapers, newsletters, and pamphlets. Writers working in English or French have published poems and short stories, particularly at the University of the South Pacific. Graphic Arts. The tourist industry supports an active cottage handicraft and carving industry, including woven baskets and dyed mats, bark skirts, penis wrappers, miniature slit-gongs and other carvings, shell jewelry, bamboo flutes and panpipes. A few art galleries in Port Vila sell the work of local artists. Performance Arts. The string band is the preeminent musical genre. Hundreds of bands perform at village dances and weddings, and their music has been important in the emergence of a national culture. Young musicians sing of local and national issues in local languages and Bislama. Popularized on cassette tapes or broadcast on the two radio stations, some of those songs have become national standards. Many bands travel to Port Vila in June to compete in an annual competition. Small community theater organizations whose dramas often address national issues perform in Port Vila, and occasionally tour the hinterlands.

The State of the Physical and Social Sciences

Several international research associations, such as France's ORSTOM, have studied agriculture, volcanism, geology, geography, and marine biology in Vanuatu. A local amateur society, the Vanuatu Natural Science Society, emphasizes ornithology. The University of the South Pacific Centre in Port Vila houses that university's Pacific languages unit and law school. The Vanuatu Cultural Center supports a succesful local fieldwork program in which men and women are trained to study and document anthropological and linguistic information.

Bibliography

Allen, Michael, ed. Vanuatu: Politics, Economics and Ritual in Island Melanesia , 1981. Bonnemaison, Jol. The Tree and the Canoe: History and Ethnography of Tanna , 1994. , Kirk Huffman, Christian Kaufmann, and Darrell Tryon, eds. Arts of Vanuatu , 1996. Coiffier, Christine. Traditional Architecture in Vanuatu , 1988. Crowley, Terry. Beach-La-Mar to Bislama: The Emergence of a National Language in Vanuatu , 1991. Foster, Robert J., ed. Nation Making: Emergent Identities in Postcolonial Melanesia , 1995. Haberkorn, Gerald. Port Vila: Transit Station or Final Stop? , 1989. Jolly, Margaret. Women of the Place: Kastom, Colonialism and Gender in Vanuatu , 1994. Lindstrom, Lamont. Knowledge and Power in a South Pacific Society , 1990. Lini, Walter. Beyond Pandemonium: From the New Hebrides to Vanuatu , 1980. McClancy, Jeremy. To Kill a Bird with Two Stones: A Short History of Vanuatu , 1980. Miles, William F. S. Bridging Mental Boundaries in a Postcolonial Microcosm: Identity and Development in Vanuatu , 1998. Rodman, Margaret C. Masters of Tradition: Consequences of Customary Land Tenure in Longana, Vanuatu , 1987. Van Trease, Howard, ed. Melanesian Politics: Stael Blong Vanuatu , 1995. Weightman, Barry. Agriculture in Vanuatu: A Historical Review , 1989.
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