Welcome to Vanuatu, location of many of the world's most active volcanoes!

VANUATU GEOGRAPHY


Vanuatu is a volcanic island chain tucked away in the South

Pacific, in the heart of Melanesia, between Fiji and Australia. There are over 80+ islands in the Republic of Vanuatu. The climate is tropical with annual temperatures averaging from 21-32ºC (70's and 80's F).

The Republic of Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides, was formerly a co-governed condominium of both Great Britain and France until their independence in 1980. Since independence, Vanuatu has undergone many government reforms and some political instability. Recently, however, the government and economy have begun to stabilize and prosper.


Vanuatu's economy is built around tourism, offshore banking,

small scale agriculture, and business investments. There are many international assistance programs in the form of governmental and non-government organizations who are working with local agencies and authorities to help guide Vanuatu into a politically and economically stable country. Although it only ranked 207 out of 233 when measured against the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in 2006, Vanuatu was considered the happiest nation on earth, according to the 178-nation "Happy Planet Index" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5169448.stm)

The capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila, is located on Efate Island and is

home to about 30,000 people. The remainder of the country's population live in villages and small communities on the dozen or so larger sized islands. There are over a hundred languages spoken in the population of 200,000+ people, with English, French and Bislama being the national languages.


For more general information on The Republic of Vanuatu, please visit: http://www.vanuatu.net.vu/


Visit Vanuatu in our slideshow below.