Country:  Vanuatu
- Geography
Total area: 14,760 km2; land area: 14,760 km2; includes more
than 80 islands
 
Comparative area: slightly larger than Connecticut
 
Land boundary: none
 
Coastline: 2,528 km
 
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
 
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
 
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
 
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
 
Territorial sea: 12 nm
 
Climate: tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds
 
Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
 
Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish
 
Land use: 1% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; 1%
forest and woodland; 91% other
 
Environment: subject to tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April);
volcanism causes minor earthquakes
 
Note: located 5,750 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific
Ocean about three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and Australia
 
- People
Population: 165,006 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
 
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1990)
 
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
 
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
 
Infant mortality rate: 36 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
 
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1990)
 
Total fertility rate: 5.5 children born/woman (1990)
 
Nationality: noun--Vanuatuan(s); adjective--Vanuatuan
 
Ethnic divisions: 94% indigenous Melanesian, 4% French, remainder
Vietnamese, Chinese, and various Pacific Islanders
 
Religion: most at least nominally Christian
 
Language: English and French (official); pidgin (known as Bislama or
Bichelama)
 
Literacy: 10-20% (est.)
 
Labor force: NA
 
Organized labor: 7 registered trade unions--largest include Oil and Gas
Workers' Union, Vanuatu Airline Workers' Union
 
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Vanuatu
 
Type: republic
 
Capital: Port-Vila
 
Administrative divisions: 11 island councils; Ambrym, Aoba/Maewo,
Banks/Torres, Efate, Epi, Malakula, Paama, Pentecote, Santo/Malo,
Shepherd, Tafea
 
Independence: 30 July 1980 (from France and UK; formerly New Hebrides)
 
Constitution: 30 July 1980
 
Legal system: unified system being created from former dual French and
British systems
 
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 July (1980)
 
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
(cabinet)
 
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament; note--the National Council of
Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land
 
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
 
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Frederick TIMAKATA (since 30 January 1989);
 
Head of Government--Prime Minister Father Walter Hadye LINI (since
30 July 1980); Deputy Prime Minister (vacant)
 
Political parties and leaders: National Party (Vanua'aku Pati),
Walter Lini; Union of Moderate Parties, Maxine Carlot;
Melanesian Progressive Party, Barak Sope
 
Suffrage: universal at age 18
 
Elections:
Parliament--last held 30 November 1987 (next to be held NA);
byelections were held NA December 1988 to fill vacancies resulting from
the expulsion of opposition members for boycotting sessions;
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(46 total) National Party 26, Union of Moderate Parties 19,
independent 1
 
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC,
IMF, ITU, NAM, SPF, UN, WHO, WMO
 
Diplomatic representation: Vanuatu does not have a mission in
Washington;
US--the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu
 
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green (bottom) 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 farming that
provides a living for about 80% of the population. Fishing and tourism are the
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.
 
GDP: $120 million, per capita $820; real growth rate 0.7% (1987 est.)
 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1988 est.)
 
Unemployment rate: NA%
 
Budget: revenues $80.1 million; expenditures $86.6 million, including
capital expenditures of $27.1 million (1988 est.)
 
Exports: $16 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--copra 37%,
cocoa 11%, meat 9%, fish 8%, timber 4%; partners--Netherlands 34%, France
27%, Japan 17%, Belgium 4%, New Caledonia 3%, Singapore 2% (1987)
 
Imports: $58 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--machines and
vehicles 25%, food and beverages 23%, basic manufactures 18%, raw materials and
fuels 11%, chemicals 6%;
partners--Australia 36%, Japan 13%, NZ 10%, France 8%, Fiji 5% (1987)
 
External debt: $57 million (1988)
 
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
 
Electricity: 10,000 kW capacity; 20 million kWh produced,
125 kWh per capita (1989)
 
Industries: food and fish freezing, forestry processing, meat canning
 
Agriculture: export crops--copra, cocoa, coffee, and fish; subsistence
crops--copra, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, and vegetables
 
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $541 million
 
Currency: vatu (plural--vatu); 1 vatu (VT) = 100 centimes
 
Exchange rates: vatu (VT) per US$1--107.17 (January 1990), 116.04 (1989),
104.43 (1988), 109.85 (1987), 106.08 (1986), 106.03 (1985)
 
Fiscal year: calendar year
 
- Communications
Railroads: none
 
Highways: 1,027 km total; at least 240 km sealed or all-weather roads
 
Ports: Port-Vila, Luganville, Palikoulo, Santu
 
Merchant marine: 65 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 885,668
GRT/1,473,443 DWT; includes 26 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 5 container,
2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 21 bulk, 1 combination bulk; note--a flag
of convenience registry
 
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
 
Airports: 33 total, 28 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
 
Telecommunications: stations--2 AM, no FM, no TV; 3,000 telephones;
1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
 
- Defense Forces
Branches: a paramilitary force is responsible for internal and external
security; no military forces
 
Military manpower: NA
 
Defense expenditures: NA