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Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific
Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates: 16 00 S, 167 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 14,760 sq km
land: 14,760 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes more than 80 islands
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 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
Climate: tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds
Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal
plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 75%
other: 11% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: tropical cyclones or typhoons (January
to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes
Environment - current issues: a majority of the population
does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water;
deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography
Vanuatu, an independent republic consisting of more than 80 islands
in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, located about 5,600 km southwest
of Hawaii and about 2,400 km northeast of Australia.
The capital and largest city is Port-Vila, located on the island
of Efate. Vanuatu consists of 80 islands located in a Y-shaped archipelago,
1,300 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia.
It is an independent parliamentary democracy and a member of the
British Commonwealth, with a primarily agricultural economy.
Climate
The climate is subtropical. Trade winds occur from May to October.
Warm, humid and wet between November and April. Rain is moderate.
Cyclones are possible between December and April.
Vanuatu is an island country in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Vanuatu
consists of 80 islands with a total land area of about 12,200 square
kilometres.
The largest islands are, in order of size, Espiritu Santo, Malakula,
Efate, Erromango, and Tanna. Vanuatu has a population of about 173,000.
Port-Vila (pop. 15,000)--on Efate--is the nation's capital and largest
urban community.
The national anthem is "Yumi, Yumi, Yumi" ("We, We, We"). From 1906
to 1980, the United Kingdom and France jointly governed the islands,
which were then called the New Hebrides.
In 1980, the islands became the independent nation of Vanuatu.
The British and French who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th
century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered
the islands until independence in 1980.
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