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Asia and Oceania
Vanuatu |
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Country information
Area: 12,336 sq kms
Population: 215,446 (2008 est)
Capital city: Port Vila
People: 98.7 percent of the population are of ni-vanuatu ethnicity. The remaining 1.3 percent of the resident population divides into different ethnic groups (part ni-vanuatu, other Melanesian, Polynesian, Micronesian, European, and Chinese).
Languages: There are over 130 different vernacular languages in use in Vanuatu but Bislama, which has similarities to the pidgin spoken in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, is the lingua franca of the archipelago. Bislama, English and French are the official languages, with the latter two as the principal languages of education.
Religions: Most Christian denominations are represented, with the Presbyterian church being the largest followed by the Anglican, Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist churches.
Currency: Vatu
Major political parties: Union of Moderate Paties (UMP), national United Party (NUP), Vanua'aku Party (VP), Vanuatu Republican Party (VRP), the Confederation of Greens (CG), John Frum group, People's Progressive Party (PPP), National Community Association (NCA).
Government: Vanuatu is a Republic with a democratically elected government. The Non-Executive State President is elected for a 5-year term by an Electoral College comprised of all the MPs (52) plus the Presidents of the six Provincial Councils. Vanuatu has a unicameral parliament of 52 MPs elected for 4-year terms by universal suffrage with an element of proportional representation. The government elects a Speaker from among its own ranks. Twenty-seven MPs are therefore required to form a government. The Prime Minister is usually, but not always, the leader of the largest parliamentary party.
Head of State: H.E. Kalkot Matas Kelekele
Prime Minister: Hon Edward Natapei
Foreign Minister: Hon Bakoa Kaltongga
Membership of international groups/organisations: United Nations (UN), the Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Health
Low to moderate malaria risk -predominantly due to P. falciparum that exists throughout the year in the whole country.
Source: WHO - http://www.who.int/ith/countries/vut/en/.
Economy
Basic economic facts
GDP: $560 million (2008 est.)
GDP per capita: $4,700 (2008 est.)
Annual growth: 4.7% (2008 UN ESCAP)
Inflation: 2.5% (2008 UN ESCAP)
Population growth: 1.398% (2009 est)
Major industries: Fishing, Offshore Financial Services and Tourism.
Major trading partners: Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union.
Aid and development: Foreign aid continues to play a major role in the economy. Major donor partners are Australia, China, the European Union and New Zealand. The UN classifies Vanuatu as a Least Developed Country.
History
Formerly the British/French Condominium of the New Hebrides (created in 1906 as a response to German expansion in the region), Vanuatu gained its independence on 31 July 1980.
Despite its numerous changes of government in recent years, Vanuatu is generally one of the most socially stable and peaceful countries within the region. Nevertheless, occasional tensions surface. In August 2002 there was a ‘mutiny’ by a number of senior police officers over the appointment of a new Police Commissioner. The ringleaders were brought before the courts, found guilty and imprisoned for two years.
International relations
Vanuatu's relations with its neighbours
Regionally Vanuatu is a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and hosts the MSG’s Secretariat in Port Vila; the Pacific Islands Forum (; and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
Vanuatu's relations with the international community
Vanuatu is a member of the UN, the Commonwealth, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, the ACP and the Non-Aligned Movement, and is also seeking membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Vanuatu has diplomatic relations with several countries. There are a few diplomatic missions in Port Vila and European Commission and other multilateral organisations are also represented. There are also a number of Honorary Consulates. Vanuatu has an Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, with accreditation to all EU member states. Members of Vanuatu's Mobile and Police Forces have served in UN Peacekeeping missions in East Timor and Bosnia, in the Regional Assistance Mission (RAMSI) in the Solomon Islands and in the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville.
Vanuatu's relations with the UK
Bilateral relations between the UK and Vanuatu are good.
Diplomatic representation
British High Commissioner to Vanuatu resides in Fiji. The New Zealand High Commission in Port Vila provides routine consular services for British nationals. Vanuatu's Ambassador to the EU is accredited to EU member states.
Geography
Vanuatu comprises a Y shaped chain of 83 islands in the South Pacific, stretching 1176 km in a north-south direction between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn. The islands have two main geological origins, coral formation and volcanic activity. The country covers an area of about 860,000 sq kms, although only 12,336 sq km of that is land, much of which is covered by natural rainforest vegetation. The capital, Port Vila, on Efate island, is situated some 2250 kms north east of Sydney. The only other significant urban centre, Luganville, is on the country’s largest island of Espiritu Santo.
Vanuatu is located on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' and is subject to over 2000 seismic events per year, most of which only register on seismic equipment. There are 9 active volcanoes in Vanuatu. Since Mount Manaro became active in November 2005, Vanuatu has recorded more than 40 earthquakes of magnitudes between 4.0 and 7.3 across the archipelago.
The climate varies from wet tropical in the north to subtropical in the south. Rainfall varies from 4000mm pa in the north to 2000mm pa in the south. On average Vanuatu experiences 2 cyclones per season (November – April), with most parts of the country suffering significant wind damage regardless of where the eye of the storm passes.
Trade and investment
UK development assistance
The UK Government's engagement in the Pacific is largely delivered through multilateral organisations including the United Nations, the Commonwealth, European Union, World and Asian Development banks. The UK actively supports the development of work programmes in those organisations and contributes significantly to funding their activities.
Politics
Party politics in Vanuatu is in a continuous state of flux with splits and coalitions commonplace. Although slowly diminishing, the Anglo/French divide continues to be important in politics, with parties generally being either predominantly Anglophone or Francophone.
The Constitution dictates that the President serves a five-year term and is elected by secret ballot by the members of the Electoral College. The current State President, Kalkot Matas Kelekele, was elected on 16 August 2004.
Recent political developments
Vanuatu's most recent general election was held on 2 September 2008. All 52 seats in the constituencies were contested. Edward Natapei was elected Prime Minister by two votes in a secret ballot and leads a coalition government.
Of the 16 UN Human Rights treaties, Vanuatu has signed and ratified the Intl Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Acceded to the Optional Protocol to the CEDAW, Signed and Ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Signed the Intl Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
