Vanuatu - An Untouched Paradise
April 8th, 2008Vanuatu officially the Republic of Vanuatu is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. Europeans began to settle in the Vanuatu in the late 18th century. In the 1880s France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the country. An independence movement was established in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was created in 1980.
The meaning of Vanuatu is ‘Eternal Land’. It attained freedom from the joint possession of Britain and France – who used it as a luxury dwelling place in 1980.
Location of Vanuatu : the Vanuatu islands are a collection of some 83 islands and islets forming a “Y” and dividing the South Pacific Ocean and the Coral Sea. It forms a part of the collection of Islands better known as Oceania.
* Area: 12,190 sq km (4,707 sq miles)
* Capital: Port-Vila
* Full name: Republic of Vanuatu
* GNI per capita: US $1,600
* International dialling code: +678
* Internet domain: .vu
* Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 72 years (women)
* Main exports: Copra, timber, beef, cocoa
* Major languages: Bislama, French, English
* Major religion: Christianity
* Monetary unit: 1 vatu = 100 centimes
* National Anthem: “Yumi, Yumi, Yumi” which translates as ‘We, We, We’.
* Newspaper: Tam Tam, Government of Vanuatu, Port Vila Presse, Vanuatu Daily Post and WN Vanuatu Post.
* Places to Visit: Pentecost Island, Port Vila, National Museum of Vanuatu, Yasur Volcano and Siri Falls.
* Population: 226,000 (2007)
* Shopping: pottery, basket weaving, shell-works and other native handicrafts.
* Transport: Airways and Waterways.
Television * VBTC - Television Blong Vanuatu - operated by state-owned Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation.
Radio * Radio Vanuatu - operated by state-owned
Terrain
The islands of Vanuatu consist mostly of mountains of volcanic origin, some of which remain active to this day. Many of the islands have narrow coastal plains. The highest point is Mt. Tabwemasana (6158 feet) on the island of Espiritu Santo.
article provided by: Vanuatu Bank. Your online banking resources from around the globe.