World Atlas: Vanuatu. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Vanuatu.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Vanuatu. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Vanuatu. But let's start with the flag of Vanuatu here:
Vanuatu - Overview:
What you should know about Vanuatu? Let's start with this: Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. 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, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.
Geography of Vanuatu
Where on the globe is Vanuatu? The location of this country is Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia. Total area of Vanuatu is 12,189 sq km, of which 12,189 sq km is land. So this is quite a small country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains. The lowest point of Vanuatu is Pacific Ocean 0 m, the highest point Tabwemasana 1,877 m. And the climate is 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.
Inhabitants of Vanuatu
Let's take a look how many people live in Vanuatu. The number is: 282,814 (July 2017 est.). So not so many people live here. Who lives here? Ni-Vanuatu 97.6%, part Ni-Vanuatu 1.1%, other 1.3% (2009 est.). What are the languages in Vanuatu? local languages (more than 100) 63.2%, Bislama (official; creole) 33.7%, English (official) 2%, French (official) 0.6%, other 0.5% (2009 est.). And the religions: Protestant 70% (includes Presbyterian 27.9%, Anglican 15.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.5%, Assemblies of God 4.7%, Church of Christ 4.5%, Neil Thomas Ministry 3.1%, and Apostolic 2.2%), Roman Catholic 12.4%, customary beliefs 3.7% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 12.6%, none 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2009 est.). How old are the people in average? 22 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 73.7 years. Where the people live in Vanuatu? Here: three-quarters of the population lives in rural areas; the urban populace lives primarily in two cities, Port-Vila and Lugenville; three largest islands - Espiritu Santo, Malakula, and Efate - accomodate over half of the populace. The major urban areas of Vanuatu are: PORT-VILA (capital) 53,000 (2014).
Government and Economy of Vanuatu
The capital of Vanuatu is Port-Vila (on Efate) and the government type parliamentary republic. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba. Regarding the economy of Vanuatu, important industrial products are food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning. Important agricultural products are copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish. The most important export commodities are copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee and the most important export partners are Ecuador 18.4%, Australia 13.8%, Venezuela 10.1%, US 9.8%, Japan 8.2%, UK 6.7%, France 5.7%, Hong Kong 5.2% (2016). The most important import commodities are machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels and the most important import partners are Australia 27.8%, NZ 17.6%, China 10.5%, France 10%, Singapore 6.1%, Thailand 4.8% (2016). How rich is Vanuatu and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $2,800 (2017 est.). This is a very low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: NA%.