Statistical information Vanuatu 1999Vanuatu

Map of Vanuatu | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Vanuatu - Introduction 1999
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Background: The British and French who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium which administered the islands until independence in 1980.


Vanuatu - Geography 1999
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Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 S, 167 00 E

Map referenceOceania

Area
Total: 14,760 km²
Land: 14,760 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes more than 80 islands
Comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2,528 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds

Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m

Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 10%
Permanent pastures: 2%
Forests and woodland: 75%
Other: 11% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April; volcanism causes minor earthquakes

Geography


Vanuatu - People 1999
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Population: 189,036 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 2.02% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
Adjective: Ni-Vanuatu

Ethnic groups: indigenous Melanesian 94%, French 4%, Vietnamese, Chinese, Pacific Islanders

Languages: English (official), French (official), pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama)

Religions: Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Catholic 15%, indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of Christ 3.8%, other 15.7%

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 39% (male 37,040; female 35,760)
15-64 years: 58% (male 56,649; female 53,799)
65 years and over: 3% (male 3,125; female 2,663) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.02% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 28.49 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.26 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water; deforestation
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 59.58 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 61.44 years
Male: 59.41 years
Female: 63.57 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.61 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 53%
Male: 57%
Female: 48% (1979 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Vanuatu - Government 1999
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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
Conventional short form: Vanuatu
Former: New Hebrides

Government type: republic

Capital: Port-Vila

Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba

Dependent areas

Independence: 30 July 1980 (from France and UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 30 July (1980)

Constitution: 30 July 1980

Legal system: unified system being created from former dual French and British systems

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Jean Marie LEYE (since 2 March 1994)
Head of government: Prime Minister Donald KALPOKAS (since 30 March 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Willie JIMMY (since 19 October 1998)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament
Elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils for a five-year term; election for president last held 2 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 6 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: Jean Marie LEYE elected president; percent of electoral college vote_NA; Donald KALPOKAS elected prime minister by Parliament with a total of 35 votes; other candidate, Rialuth Serge VOHOR, received 17 votes
Note: the general legislative elections in November 1995 did not give a majority to any of the political parties; since the election, there have been four changes of government_all of which have been coalitions formed by Parliamentary vote; Rialuth Serge VOHOR was prime minister from November 1995 until he resigned 7 February 1996 when faced with a no-confidence vote in Parliament; Maxime Carlot KORMAN was then elected prime minister and served until he was ousted in a no-confidence motion on 30 September 1996; VOHOR was then elected prime minister for a second time; as a result of legislative elections in March 1998, KALPOKAS was elected prime minister and formed a coalition government with Father LINI's National United Party (NUP)

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 6 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_VP 18, UMP 12, NUP 11, other and independent 11; note_political party associations are fluid; there have been four changes of government since the November 1995 elections
Note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US, it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

Flag descriptionflag of Vanuatu: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle; centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


Vanuatu - Economy 1999
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Economy overview: The economy is based primarily on subsistence or small-scale agriculture which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with about 50,000 visitors in 1997, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,300 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 23%
Industry: 13%
Services: 64% (1996)

Agriculture products: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef

Industries: food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning

Industrial production growth rate: 6.4% (1996 est.)

Labor force: NA
By occupation agriculture: 65%
By occupation services: 32%
By occupation industry: 3% (1995 est.)
Labor force

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $94.4 million
Expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4 million (1996 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $30 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodities: copra, beef, cocoa, timber, coffee
Partners: Japan 28%, Spain 21%, Germany 14%, UK 7%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, Australia, New Caledonia (1996 est.)

Imports: $97 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodities: machines and vehicles, food and beverages, basic manufactures, raw materials and fuels, chemicals
Partners: Japan 47%, Australia 23%, Singapore 8%, New Zealand 6%, France 3%, Fiji (1996 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $63 million (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: vatu (VT) per US$1_129.66 (January 1999), 127.52 (1998), 115.87 (1997), 111.72 (1996), 112.11 (1995), 116.41 (1994)


Vanuatu - Energy 1999
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Electricity
Production: 30 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 30 million kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Vanuatu - Communication 1999
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Telephones: 4,000 (1994 est.)

Telephone system
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Vanuatu - Military 1999
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Vanuatu - Transportation 1999
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 32 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 29
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 17 (1998 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 82 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,327,078 GRT/1,764,558 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 31, cargo 24, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 1, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 11, vehicle carrier 6
Note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 15 countries among which are ships of Japan 28, India 10, US 10, Greece 3, Hong Kong 3, Australia 2, Canada 1, China 1, and France 1 (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals


Vanuatu - Transnational issues 1999
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Disputes international: claims Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs


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