You've got to hand it to the ingenuity
and sense of humour of a people who invented bungee jumping to get their
yams in on time. You think Vanuatu's beaches are unbeatable on one island
until you reach the next. Divers are delighted at the pristine waters,
coral reefs and accessible shipwrecks; vulcanologists' eyes go misty at
the mere thought of its many smoking peaks; and naturalists lust after its
untouched forests, reefs and extravagant bird life. The islands shimmer
with a green that almost hurts the eyes amid an ocean so blue you'd think
the picture was doctored.
Exploited, kidnapped, proselytised and robbed for
a century and a half under the benevolence of a wobbly colonial
administration, the ni-Vanuatu, as islanders are known, have
bounced back today and are among the friendliest and most welcoming people
in the Pacific. Since independence in 1980 travellers have been kicking
back in the country in ever greater numbers to surf, dive, water-ski, trek
and relax.
And if any of that sounds
too active there's an especially mellow-inducing brand of local firewater
called kava to take all your hinges off and implant the suspicion that the
20th century is just a bad dream after all.
Government
Vanuatu, formerly known as New Hebrides, is a
republic, governed under a constitution formed in 1980. The head of state
is a president, who is elected to serve a five-year term.
Executive power
is vested in a council of ministers, which consists of a prime minister,
who is elected by parliament, and other ministers appointed by the prime
minister. Legislative power is vested in parliament, the 50 members of
which are popularly elected to serve four-year terms.
Economy
Subsistence
agriculture dominates the economy of Vanuatu. Food
crops include yams, taro, and bananas. Copra
is the principal export.
Other export crops include cacao,
coffee, and timber. Fishing and the raising of cattle for export
are also important. Tourism is expanding rapidly, and
international airports are located at Port-Vila and on Espiritu
Santo. The national currency is the vatu. Favourable
tax laws have made Vanuatu a centre for offshore banking.
Factsheet:
Location:
Oceania,
group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the
way from Hawaii to Australia
Area:total
area: 14,760 kmē land area: 14,760 kmē comparative area: slightly larger
than Connecticut Note: includes more than 80 islands
Land
boundries: 0
km
Coastline:
2,528
km
Maritime
Claims: measured
from claimed archipelagic baselines contiguous zone: 24 nm continental
shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic
zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International
disputes:none
Climate:moderated
by southeast trade winds
Terrain:
Land
use:
arable
land: 1%
permanent crops: 5%
meadows and pastures: 2%
forest and woodland:
1%
other: 91%
Irrigated
land:NA
kmē
Natural
resources: manganese,
hardwood forests, fish
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
- Law of the Sea
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