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
Note: includes more than 80 islands
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2,528 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
Contiguous zone: 24 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: 2.46%
Permanent crops: 7.38%
Other: 90.16% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

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

Geography
Note: a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes

Population: 199,414 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 1.61% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Ethnic groups: indigenous Melanesian 98% French Vietnamese Chinese other Pacific Islanders

Languages: three official languages: English French pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) plus more than 100 local languages

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% (including Jon Frum Cargo cult)

Age structure
0-14 years: 34.8% (male 35,499; female 33,992)
15-64 years: 61.8% (male 63,021; female 60,149)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 3,605; female 3,148) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.9 years
Male: 22 years
Female: 21.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 1.61% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 24.26 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 8.13 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 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: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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: 1.15 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 58.11 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 55.32 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 60.76 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 61.71 years
Male: 60.28 years
Female: 63.21 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.98 children born/woman (2003 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: parliamentary 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)
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 2004); 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 2 August 2002 (next to be held NA 2003)
Election results: Father John BANI elected president on second vote (24 March 1999) after the first (17 March 1999) did not have any candidate with the required two-thirds majority; percent of electoral college vote - NA%
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament
Head of government: Prime Minister Edward Nipake NATAPEI (since 13 April 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Ham LINI (since NA)

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 2 May 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 15, VP 14, VRP 3, MPP 2, other and independent 18; note - political party associations are fluid
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: Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Dinh Van THAN]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuaaku Party (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AsDB C ESCAP FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS IMF IMO IOC ITU NAM Sparteca SPC SPF UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIBH 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. A severe earthquake in November 1999 followed by a tsunami caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote and left thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the capital Port-Vila and surrounding areas and also was followed by a tsunami. GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. 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 foreign aid.

Real gdp growth rate: -0.3% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 26%
Industry: 12%
Services: 62% (2000 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: 30%
By occupation industry: 5% (2000 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: 3.2% (2001 est.)

Exports: $22 million f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: copra beef cocoa timber kava coffee
Partners: India 32.5% Thailand 22.8% South Korea 10.5% Indonesia 6.3% Japan 4.9% (2002)

Imports: $93 million c.i.f. (2001)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs fuels
Partners: Australia 22.1% Japan 19.2% New Zealand 10.1% Singapore 8.1% Fiji 6.6% Taiwan 5% India 5% (2002)

Debt external: $68.6 million (2000 est.)

Exchange rates: vatu per US dollar - 139.2 (2002) 145.31 (2001) 137.64 (2000) 129.08 (1999) 127.52 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 43.46 million kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 40.42 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 5,500 (1998)
Mobile cellular: 310 (2000)

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: 30 (2002)
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 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 27
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 10
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 17 (2002)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,181,463 GRT/1,552,813 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 5, combination bulk 3, container 3, liquefied gas 2, multi-function large-load carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 7, vehicle carrier 5
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 3, Canada 2, China 1, Japan 25, Monaco 4, Netherlands 1, NZ 5, Panama 1, Poland 1, Switzerland 2, UK 4, US 2, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France