Vanuatu

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.

• 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

agricultural land:

15.3%;

• arable land 1.6%;
• permanent crops 10.3%;
• permanent pasture 3.4%

forest:

36.1%

other:

48.6% (2011 est.)

• tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April);
• volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began on 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes;
• tsunamis

volcanism:

• significant volcanic activity with multiple eruptions in recent years;
• Yasur (elev. 361 m), one of the world's most active volcanoes, has experienced continuous activity in recent centuries;
• other historically active volcanoes include, Aoba, Ambrym, Epi, Gaua, Kuwae, Lopevi, Suretamatai, and Traitor's Head

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)

adjective:

Ni-Vanuatu

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.04 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Vanuatu

conventional short form:

Vanuatu

local long form:

Ripablik blong Vanuatu

local short form:

Vanuatu

former:

New Hebrides

etymology:

derived from the words "vanua" (home or land) and "tu" (stand) that occur in several of the Austonesian languages spoken on the islands and which provide the meaning of "independence" or the sense of "our land"

name:

Port-Vila (on Efate)

geographic coordinates:

17 44 S, 168 19 E

time difference:

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

both parents must be citizens of Vanuatu; in the case of only one parent, it must be the father who is a citizen

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

President Baldwin LONSDALE (since 22 September 2014)

head of government:

Prime Minister Charlot SALWAI (since 11 February 2016)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to parliament

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and presidents of the 6 provinces;
• Vanuatu president serves a 5-year term;
• election last held on 17 September 2014 (next to be held in 2019);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by parliament from among its members;
• election for prime minister last held on 11 February 2016 (next to be held following general elections in 2020)

election results:

• Baldwin LONSDALE (independent) elected president;
• Parliament vote - 46 out of 52 on the eighth ballot;
• Charlot SALWAI elected prime minister on 11 February 2016 with 46 votes

description:

unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)

note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language

elections:

last held on 22 January 2016 (next to be held in 2020)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - VP 8, PPP 6, UMP 5, GJP 4, NUP 4, IG 3, GC 3, NAG 3, RMC 3, MPP 2, NIPDP 2, PSP 1, VLDP 1, VNP 1, VPDP 1, VRP 1, and independent 4;
• note - political party associations are fluid

• .highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 6 justices - 3 local and 4 expatriate);
• note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court are considered by the Court of Appeal, constituted by 2 or more judges of the Supreme Court sitting together

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition;
• other judges are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, a 4-member advisory body;
• judges appointed until age of retirement

subordinate courts:

Magistrates Courts; Island Courts

• Greens Confederation or GC [Moana CARCASSES Kalosil]
• Iauko Group or IG [Tony NARI]
• Land and Justice Party (Graon mo Jastis Pati) or GJP [Ralph REGENVANU]
• Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]
• Nagriamel movement or NAG [Frankie STEVENS]
• Natatok Indigenous People's Democratic Party or (NATATOK) or NIPDP [Alfred Roland CARLOT]
• National United Party or NUP [Ham LINI]
• People's Progressive Party or PPP [Sato KILMAN]
• People's Service Party or PSP [Don KEN]
• Reunification of Movement for Change or RMC [Charlot SALWAI]
• Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]
• Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]
• Vanuatu Democratic Party [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]
• Vanuatu Liberal Democratic Party or VLDP [Tapangararua WILLIE]
• Vanuatu National Party or VNP [Issac HAMARILIU]
• Vanuatu National Development Party or VNDP [Robert Bohn SIKOL]
• Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Marcellino PIPITE]

• 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 fern fronds, all in yellow;
• red represents the blood of boars and men, as well as unity, green the richness of the islands, and black the ni-Vanuatu people;
• the yellow Y-shape - which reflects the pattern of the islands in the Pacific Ocean - symbolizes the light of the Gospel spreading through the islands;
• the boar's tusk is a symbol of prosperity frequently worn as a pendant on the islands;
• the fern fronds represent peace

note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, and Eritrea

name:

"Yumi, Yumi, Yumi" (We, We, We)

lyrics/music:

Francois Vincent AYSSAV

note: adopted 1980; the anthem is written in Bislama, a Creole language that mixes Pidgin English and French

• copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables;
• beef;
• fish

agriculture:

65%

industry:

5%

services:

30% (2000 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• 1 state-owned TV station;
• multi-channel pay TV is available;
• state-owned Radio Vanuatu operates 2 radio stations;
• 2 privately owned radio broadcasters;
• programming from multiple international broadcasters is available (2008)

number of registered air carriers:

1; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

287,526

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,510,732 mt-km (2015)

total:

1,070 km

paved:

256 km

unpaved:

814 km (2000)

country comparison to the world: 185

total:

77

by type:

bulk carrier 38, cargo 8, chemical tanker 2, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 24, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned:

72 (Belgium 1, Canada 5, China 1, Greece 3, Japan 39, Norway 1, Poland 9, Russia 7, Singapore 2, Taiwan 1, UAE 1, US 2) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 58