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, about 65 of which are inhabited
Comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2,528 km

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

Climate: tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April

Terrain: mostly mountainous islands 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% (2001)

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: 202,609 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 1.57% (2004 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: 34.1% (male 35,281; female 33,785)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 64,669; female 61,829)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 3,740; female 3,305) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 22.3 years
Male: 22.3 years
Female: 22.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.57% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 23.67 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 8.02 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 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: 1.13 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 56.63 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 59.25 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 53.89 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.1 years
Male: 60.64 years
Female: 63.63 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.87 children born/woman (2004 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 (Efate)

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 Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16 August 2004)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 11 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Sato KILMAN (since 11 December 2004); Prime Minister Serge VOHOR ousted in no-confidence vote on 11 December 2004
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament
Elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009); 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 29 July 2004 (next to be held following general elections in 2008)
Election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49 votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 6 July 2004 (next to be held 2008)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 8, VP 8, NUP 10, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP 3, other and independent 16; note - political party associations are fluid
Note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language

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 [NA]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Greens (Vanuatu) [Moana CARCASSES]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AsDB C FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IOC ITU MIGA NAM PIF Sparteca UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO 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: This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on 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. Agriculture especially livestock farming is a second target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid. Growth expanded moderately in 2003.

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 industry: 5%
By occupation services: 30% (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: 2% (2002 est.)

Exports: $79 million f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: copra beef cocoa timber kava coffee
Partners: India 32.8% Thailand 25.5% Indonesia 9.6% Japan 7.6% Australia 4% Poland 4% (2003)

Imports: $138 million c.i.f. (2002)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs fuels
Partners: Australia 15.3% Japan 10.6% Singapore 7.4% New Zealand 6% Fiji 5.1% (2003)

Debt external: $65.8 million (2001 est.)

Exchange rates: vatu per US dollar - 122.189 (2003) 139.198 (2002) 145.312 (2001) 137.643 (2000) 129.075 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 43.46 million kWh (2001)
Consumption: 40.42 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 6,500 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 7,800 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .vu
Hosts: 512 (2003)
Users: 7,500 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: NA
Percent of gdp: NA

Airports: 30 (2003 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 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 27
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 10
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.)

Merchant marine
Total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,192,474 GRT/1,560,828 DWT
By type: bulk 28, cargo 2, combination bulk 3, container 2, liquefied gas 2, multi-functional large load carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 5
Foreign owned: Australia 2, Canada 1, Estonia 1, Germany 1, Japan 25, Monaco 4, New Zealand 2, Panama 1, Poland 7, Switzerland 3, United Kingdom 5, United States 2
Registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)

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