Vanuatu

Republic of Vanuatu

republicIndependence 30 July 1980 (from France and UK)

Vanuatu as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 82 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalPort-Vila

Position16 00 S, 167 00 E

Area14,760 sq km

LocationOceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean,

Populationas each edition published it

177,504 people July 1996 est. · 165,006 in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.17% 1996 est. · 2.36% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

60.13 years 1996 est. · 58.8 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.01 children per woman 1996 est. · 5.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

64.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 36 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,220 1994 est. · $900 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2% 1994 est. · 6% in 1993

Geography

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, | about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia

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Land useshare of 14,760 sq km

arable land 1%permanent crops 5%meadows and pastures 2%forest and woodland 1%other 91%

Area

14,760sq km

land area: 14,760 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than Connecticutnote: includes more than 80 islands

Coastline

2,528km

land boundaries: 0 kmMaritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselinescontiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

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 references

Oceania

International disputes

claims Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia

Climate

tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds

Terrain

mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains

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

Natural resources

manganese, hardwood forests, fish

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Environment

current issues:: a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water
natural hazards:: tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

People

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Population

177,504

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 2.17% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

30.57Death

8.84Net migration

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years60.13

58.27 · 62.09

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy53%

57% · 48%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)

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%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 40% (male 36,409; female 35,105)
15-64 years:: 57% (male 51,969; female 48,901)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 2,802; female 2,318) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 1.21 male(s)/female
all ages:: 1.06 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

64.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.01 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective:: Ni-Vanuatu

Ethnic divisions

indigenous Melanesian 94%, French 4%, Vietnamese, Chinese, Pacific Islanders

Languages

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

Government

Republic; President Jean Marie LEYE (since 2 March 1994) was elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; Prime Minister Maxime Carlot KORMAN (since 23 February 1996) was elected by Parliament from among its members

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Legislature, 50 seatsone dot, one seat

UMP 17VP 14NUP 9MPP 5TU 2Friend Melanesian Party 1independent 1

Name of country

conventional long form:: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form:: Vanuatu
former:: New Hebrides

Data code

Type of government

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 Jean Marie LEYE (since 2 March 1994) was elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils
head of government:: Prime Minister Maxime Carlot KORMAN (since 23 February 1996) was elected by Parliament from among its members;
Deputy Prime Minister Donald KALPOKAS (since 23 February 1996) was appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament;
note - Prime Minister VOHOR resigned 7 February 1996 when faced with a no-confidence vote in Parliament;
Parliament then convened an extraordinary session and voted 30 to 20 to elect Maxime Carlot KORMAN as the new prime minister
cabinet:: Council of Ministers was appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament

Legislative branch

unicameral

Parliament

elections last held 30 November 1995 (next to be held NA November 1999);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (50 total) UMP 17, VP 14, NUP 9, MPP 5, TU 2, Na-Griamel Movement 1, Friend Melanesian Party 1, independent 1;
note - after the election, a coalition was formed by the Union of Moderate Parties and the National United Party to form a new government on 14 December 1995, but 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

Union of Moderate Parties (UMP), Serge VOHOR;
National United Party (NUP), Walter LINI;
Unity Front (UF) includes the Vanuatu Party (VP), Donald KALPOKAS, Melanesian Progressive Party (MPP), Barak SOPE, Tan Union (TU), Vincent BOULEKONE, and the Na-Griamel Movement, Frankie STEVENS;
Friend Melanesian Party, leader NA;
People's Democratic Party (PDP), Sethy REGENVANU;
Independence Front (IF), Patrick CROWBY

International organization participation

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

Diplomatic representation in US

Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US

US diplomatic representation

the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

Flag

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

The economy is based primarily on subsistence | farming which provides a living for the bulk of the population. | Fishing and tourism are the other mainstays of the economy, with | 43,000 visitors in 1992.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$1,220

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: 3.4% (1993 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1995 est.)

Labor force

66,597

(1989 est.)by occupation: agriculture 65%, services 32%, industry 3% (1995 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$74.8 millionExpenditures

$76.1 million (1994 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 17,000 kW

Electricity production

30 millionElectricity consumption per capita

181 (1993)

Economic overview

The economy is based primarily on subsistence farming which provides a living for the bulk of the population. Fishing and tourism are the other mainstays of the economy, with 43,000 visitors in 1992. 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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $210 million (1994 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture:: NA%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA%

Unemployment rate

NA%

Industries

food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning

Agriculture

coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish

Exports

$24.6 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:: copra, beef, cocoa, timber, coffee
partners:: EU 32%, Japan 29%, Australia 11%, New Caledonia 7% (1993)

Imports

$78.6 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:: machines and vehicles, food and beverages, basic manufactures, raw materials and fuels, chemicals
partners:: Australia 41%, France 15%, NZ 11%, Japan 9%, Fiji 6% (1992)

External debt

$38.2 million (yearend 1993)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 vatu (VT) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

vatu (VT) per US$1 - 114.40 (January 1996), 112.11 (1995), 116.41 (1994), 121.58 (1993), 113.39 (1992), 111.68 (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

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Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 31 in all

2 438 to 3 047 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

under 914 m

914 to 1 523 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

1,021Railways

Highways: paved: 238 km · unpaved: 783 km (1987 est.)

Highways

total:: 1,021 km
paved:: 238 km
unpaved:: 783 km (1987 est.)

Ports

Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)

Merchant marine

total:: 112 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587,286 GRT/2,173,970 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 38, cargo 29, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 1, container 3, liquefied gas tanker 5, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 16, vehicle carrier 10

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 20 countries among which are Japan 37, US 19, Netherlands 10, Greece 6, Hong Kong 6, China 4, Canada 4, UAE 3, Russia 2, and Australia 2 (1995 est.)