Vanuatu

Ripablik blong Vanuatu
République du Vanuatu
Republic of Vanuatu

Coat of Arms of Vanuatu Flag of Vanuatu Coat of arms
National motto: Let us stand firm in God
Official languages	Bislama, English, French
Capital	Port Vila
Largest City	Port Vila
President	Kalkot Mataskelekele
Prime Minister	Ham Lini
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 156th 12,200 km² Negligible
Population  - Total (2005)  - Population density	Ranked 182nd 211,000 16/km²
Independence	30 July, 1980
Currency	Vatu
Time zone	Universal Time + 11
National anthem	Yumi, Yumi, Yumi
Internet TLD	.vu
Calling Code	+678

Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is a Melanesian island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is located some 1750 kilometers east of Australia, 500km north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji and south of the Solomon Islands. Vanuatu was the location of a unique Anglo-French government system, it operates as a tax haven, and is home to a messianic cargo cult that continues as a political party.

Geography

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands, of which two — Matthew and Hunter iIslands — are also claimed by New Caledonia. Of all the 83 islands, 14 have areas of more than 100 square kilometers They are, from largest to smallest: Espiritu Santo, Malakula, Éfaté, Erromango, Ambrym, Tanna, Pentecôte, Épi, Ambae or Aoba, Vanua Lava, Santa Maria, Maéwo, Malo Island, and Anatom or Aneityum.

Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin, and have a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The nation's largest towns are the capital Port Vila, on Éfaté, and Luganville, on Espiritu Santo. The highest point in Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, at 1879 meters (6158ft), on the island of Espiritu Santo. There are several active volcanoes, including Lopevi as well as several underwater ones. Volcanic activity is common with an ever-present danger of a major eruption, the last of which occurred in 1945. Tsunamis are another natural hazard.

The climate is tropical, moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October, with moderate rainfall from November to April. Rainfall averages about 2360 millimeters (94in) a year but can be as high as 4000 millimeters (160in) in the northern islands. It may be affected by cyclones from December to April.

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

Since 1994, Vanuatu has been divided into six provinces: Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, and Torba.

Natural resources include manganese, hardwood forests, and fish. Less than nine percent of land is regarded as arable. Most of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water. Deforestation is an issue.

History

People speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 4000 years ago. In 1605, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós became the first European to reach the islands, believing it to be part of Terra Australis. Europeans began settling the islands in the late 18th century, after British explorer James Cook visited on his second voyage, from 1772-1775, and named them New Hebrides.

Vanuatu suffered from the practice of "blackbirding," wherein half of the adult male population of some islands became indentured workers in Australia. At that time Catholic and Protestantmissionaries arrived, as did settlers, looking to establish cotton plantations, then coffee, cocoa, bananas, and, most successfully, coconuts.

In 1887, the islands began to be administered by a French-British naval commission. In 1906, the French and British agreed to an Anglo-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.

During World War II, the islands of Éfaté and Espiritu Santo were used as allied military bases. Soldiers brought modern industrial goods, which prompted the development of several cargo cults. These are movements attempting to obtain industrial goods through magic and religion. One such cult revolved around the belief in a mythical messianic figure named John Frum, promising Melanesian deliverance. John Frum continued both a religion and a political party with two members in Parliament in 2006.

In the 1960s, the ni-Vanuatu people started to press for self-governance and later independence. 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 Party in 1974, the party pushed for independence. In 1980, the Republic of Vanuatu was created. It joined the UN in 1981, and the Non-Aligned Movement in 1983.

During the 1990s, Vanuatu experienced political instability, which resulted in a more decentralised government. The Vanuatu Mobile Force, a paramilitary group, attempted a coup in 1996, because of a pay dispute. There were allegations of corruption in the government of Carlot Korman.

Politics

Vanuatu has 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 five-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 the parliament. The prime minister appoints the Council of Ministers, thus forming the executive.

The parliament of Vanuatu is unicameral, and has 52 members; these are elected every four years by popular vote, unless dissolved earlier. The national council of chiefs, called the "Malvatu Mauri," advises the government on matters concerning Ni-Vanuatu culture and language.

Government and society in Vanuatu tend to divide along linguistic—French and English—lines. Forming coalition governments, however, has proved problematic at times, owing to differences between English language and French language 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 law. The constitution also provides for the establishment of village or island courts presided over by chiefs to deal with questions of customary law.

Vanuatu has joined the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique.

Since 1980, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand have provided the bulk of Vanuatu's development aid. Vanuatu retains strong economic and cultural ties to Australia, New Zealand, and France. Australia now provides most external assistance, including to the police force, which has a paramilitary wing.

Economy

The economy is based primarily on subsistence agriculture or small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65 percent of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism (with about 50,000 visitors in 1997), are other mainstays. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties and a 12.5 percent tax on goods and services.

Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. A severe earthquake in November 1999, followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote, leaving thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 damaged the capital, Port-Vila, and surrounding areas, and was followed by a tsunami.

In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002, the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of Vanuatu's foreign aid.

Vanuatu is a tax haven that does not release account information. The Vanuatu Government is being pressured to adhere to international norms. In Vanuatu, there is no income tax, no withholding tax, no capital gains tax, no inheritance taxes, and no exchange controls. Companies like Kazaa and WinMX have chosen to incorporate in Vanuatu to avoid regulation and legal challenges.

Exports totalled $US205-million in 2004. Export commodities were copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, and coffee. Export partners were Thailand 46.1 percent, Malaysia 19.1 percent, Poland 8.1 percent, and Japan 7.6 percent. Imports totalled $US233-million. Import commodities included machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, and fuel. Import partners were Taiwan 20.2 percent, Australia 14.7 percent, Japan 13.5 percent, Singapore 11.9 percent, Poland 7.1 percent, New Zealand 5.6 percent, and Fiji 5.3 percent.

Per capita GDP was just $US2900 in 2003.

Demographics

Map of Vanuatu

Vanuatu had a population of 205,754 in 2005. Most of the population is rural, though Port Vila and Luganville have populations in the tens of thousands. Most of the inhabitants of Vanuatu (98.5 percent) are native Melanesian, or "Ni-Vanuatu," with the remainder made up of a mix of Europeans, Asians and other Pacific islanders. A few of the islands are Polynesian outliers. About 2000 Ni-Vanuatu live and work in New Caledonia.

There are three official languages: English, French and Bislama (a creole language which evolved from English). School pupils are taught both languages. Business is conducted mainly in English, although there are many French companies who conduct their business in both French and English. Over 100 local languages are spoken on the islands. The density of languages per capita is the highest of any nation in the world (with an average of only 2000 speakers per language); only Papua New Guinea comes close. All of the indigenous languages are Austronesian languages.

Christianity is the predominant religion, consisting of several denominations. The Presbyterian Church, adhered to by about one third of the population, is the largest. Roman Catholic and Anglican are other common denominations, each claiming about 15 percent of the population. Others are the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Church of Christ.

Culture

Vanuatu may be divided into three major cultural regions. In the north, wealth is established by how much one can give away. Pigs are considered a symbol of wealth. The central areas have Polynesian systems with hereditary chiefs, and a class system, complete with nobles and commoners. In the south, a system involving grants of title with associated privileges has developed. There, women hold a low status.

Throughout the islands, life is characterised by a constant cycle of rituals. There are rituals for birth. Mothers pay the uncles of boys to be circumcised — the boys are taken into the bush for weeks, where they have their foreskins removed and are introduced to the ways of manhood. From that point they no longer run naked, but wear a penis sheath. There are rituals for the achievement of status, for marriage and for death.

With no written language, story telling, songs and dances are important. Art, from body decorations and tattoos, to elaborate masks, hats and carvings are a vital part of ritual celebrations and the social life of the village.

The music of Vanuatu, as an industry, grew rapidly in the 1990s, and several bands have forged a distinctive Vanuatuan identity— especially bands like Huarere and Tropic Tempo, XX-Squad, and and artists like Vanessa Quai. Traditional instruments are the "tamtam" drum, which is intricately carved from a log, as well as panpipes, conch shells, and gongs.

In Port Vila and two other centers are locations of the University of the South Pacific, an educational institution co-owned by 12 Pacific countries. The Vanuatu campus is the only law school in the university.

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

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