Vanuatu Country Profile

The Republic of Vanuatu, located in the west of the South Pacific, is a Melanesian archipelago. It consists of 83 islands (68 of which are inhabited). The largest island is Santo Island (an area of 3974 square kilometers). It has a tropical maritime climate. The average precipitation is 1600 mm, and the average temperature of the capital Port Vila is 25.3 ℃. The land area is 12,190 square kilometers, and the water area is 848,000 square kilometers, of which 98% are Vanuatu people and belong to the Melanesian race. The official languages are English, French and Bislama, and Bislama is commonly used.

The Vanuatu people lived here thousands of years ago. Discovered by Spanish explorers in 1606. The French came here in 1768. In 1774 the British Captain Cook came here and named the place "New Hebrides". In October 1906, Britain and France signed a co-administration pact, and the area became an Anglo-French co-colonial. In 1963 the Aboriginals formed the first political party, the Village Party, demanding land reclamation and independence. Internal autonomy was implemented in January 1978. Independence on July 30, 1980.