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;                        
                                                                                
Exclusive 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: arable land 1%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures              
2%; forest and woodland 1%; other 91%                                           
                                                                                
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: 170,319 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 36 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural);                            
adjective--Ni-Vanuatu                                                           
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: indigenous Melanesian 94%, French 4%, remainder               
Vietnamese, Chinese, and various Pacific Islanders                              
                                                                                
Religion: Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Catholic 15%,                       
indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of Christ           
3.8%, other 15.7%                                                               
                                                                                
Language: English and French (official); pidgin (known as Bislama               
or Bichelama)                                                                   
                                                                                
Literacy: 53% (male 57%, female 48%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1979)                                                           
                                                                                
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), Donald KALPOKAS;                               
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                         
by November 1991); byelections were held in 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: ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,                    
ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, NAM, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNIDO,          
UPU, WFTU, 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: $137 million, per capita $860; real growth rate 4.3% (1989                 
est.)                                                                           
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.8% (1989 est.)                              
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: NA%                                                          
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $90.0 million; expenditures $103.0 million,                    
including capital expenditures of $45.0 million (1989 est.)                     
                                                                                
Exports: $14.5 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);                                     
                                                                                
commodities--copra 59%, cocoa 11%, meat 9%, fish 8%, timber 4%;                 
                                                                                
partners--Netherlands 34%, France 27%, Japan 17%, Belgium 4%, New               
Caledonia 3%, Singapore 2% (1987)                                               
                                                                                
Imports: $58.4 million (f.o.b., 1989 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: $30 million (1990 est.)                                          
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate NA%                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 17,000 kW capacity; 30 million kWh produced,                       
180 kWh per capita (1990)                                                       
                                                                                
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          
                                                                                
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral                 
commitments (1970-88), $565 million                                             
                                                                                
Currency: vatu (plural--vatu); 1 vatu (VT) = 100 centimes                       
                                                                                
Exchange rates: vatu (VT) per US$1--109.62 (January 1991), 116.57               
(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: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,242,850               
GRT/3,447,671 DWT; includes 33 cargo, 13 refrigerated cargo, 8 container,       
11 vehicle carrier, 1 livestock carrier, 5 petroleum, oils, and                 
lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 55 bulk,           
1 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; the USSR              
has 2 ships under the Vanuatu flag                                              
                                                                                
Civil air: no major transport aircraft                                          
                                                                                
Airports: 32 total, 28 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;                
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with            
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: stations--2 AM, no FM, no TV; 3,000 telephones;             
satellite communications ground stations--1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT              
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: no military forces; Vanuatu Police Force, paramilitary                
force                                                                           
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 41,183; NA fit for military                 
service                                                                         
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP                                           
                                                                                
