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.

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 S 167 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 12,200 km²
Land: 12,200 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
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
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 10%
Permanent pastures: 2%
Forests and woodland: 75%
Other: 11% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

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

Population: 192,910 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.7% (2001 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% Roman Catholic 15% indigenous beliefs 7.6% Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2% Church of Christ 3.8% other 15.7%

Age structure
0-14 years: 36.35% (male 35,822; female 34,299)
15-64 years: 60.43% (male 59,764; female 56,808)
65 years and over: 3.22% (male 3,348; female 2,869) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.7% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 25.4 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.38 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male/female
65 years and over: 1.17 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 61.05 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 60.95 years
Male: 59.58 years
Female: 62.39 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.19 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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

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

Independence: 30 July 1980 (from France and UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 30 July (1980)

Constitution: 30 July 1980

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Father John BANI (since 25 March 1999)
Head of government: Prime Minister Edward NATAPEI (since 16 April 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Serge VOHOR (since 16 April 2001)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament
Elections: president elected for a four-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils for a five-year term; election for president last held 25 March 1999 (next to be held NA 2003); 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 16 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: Father John BANI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA%; Edward NATAPEI elected prime minister by Parliament with a total of 27 out of 52 votes
Note: the government of Prime Minister Barak SOPE was ousted in a no confidence vote on 14 April 2001 and Edward NATAPEI was elected the new prime minister by Parliament

Legislative branch
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: Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Willie TITONGOA]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuaaku Party (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]

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 UNMIBH UNTAET UPU WFTU WHO WMO WTrO (observer)

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

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

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. The most recent natural disaster a severe earthquake in November 1999 followed by a tsunami caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote and left thousands homeless. GDP growth has risen less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns the government is moving to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center.

Real gdp growth rate: -2.5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1300 (1999 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 20%
Industry: 9%
Services: 71% (1999 est.)

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: 1% (1997 est.)

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

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (1999 est.)

Exports: $25.3 million (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: copra kava beef cocoa timber coffee
Partners: Japan 32% Germany 14% Spain 8% New Caledonia 7% Australia 2% (1997 est.)

Imports: $77.2 million (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs fuels
Partners: Japan 52% Australia 20% New Caledonia Singapore New Zealand France Fiji (1997 est.)

Debt external: $48 million (1997 est.)

Exchange rates: vatu per US dollar - 143.95 (December 2000) 137.82 (2000) 129.08 (1999) 127.52 (1998) 115.87 (1997) 111.72 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 35 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 32.6 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 4,000 (1996)
Mobile cellular: 154 (1996)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .vu
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: 3,000 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 32 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 30
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 17 (2000 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,067,384 GRT/1,330,543 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 23, cargo 7, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 2, container 1, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 7, vehicle carrier 6
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 2, Canada 1, China 1, France 1, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Japan 22, Netherlands 1, Norway 1, Switzerland 1, US 4 (2000 est.)