Last 100 Topics:
The constitution created a republican political system headed by a president who has primarily ceremonial powers and is elected by a two-thirds majority in an electoral college consisting of members of Parliament and the presidents of Regional Councils. The president serves a 5-year term. The president may be removed by the electoral college for gross...
Vanuatu's economy is primarily agricultural; 80% of the population is engaged in agricultural activities that range from subsistence farming to smallholder farming of coconuts and other cash crops. Copra is by far the most important cash crop (making up more than 35% of the country's exports), followed by timber, beef, and cocoa. Kava root extract exports...
The people of Vanuatu, a name which means 'Land Eternal', are predominantly Melanesian. The Ni Vanuatu have populated these islands for centuries with more than 115 distinctly different cultures and languages still thriving here, Vanuatu is recognised as one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. There are small communities of French,...
The prehistory of Vanuatu is obscure; archaeological evidence supports the commonly held theory that peoples speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 4,000 years ago. Potsherds have been found dating back to 1300-1100 B.C. The first island in the Vanuatu group discovered by Europeans was Espiritu Santo, when in 1606 the Portuguese...
Vanuatu is a 'Y' shaped archipelago that comprises 80 islands. It is located 2,172 kilometers (1,303 mi.) northeast of Sydney and 5,750 kilometers (3,450 mi.) southwest of Honolulu. Fiji lies to the east, New Caledonia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to the northwest, all within the area of the South Pacific called Melanesia. The two largest islands,...
The population of Vanuatu is 94% indigenous Melanesian. About 30,000 live in the capital, Port Vila. Another 10,700 live in Luganville (or Santo Town) on Espiritu Santo. The remainder live in rural areas. About 2,000 ni-Vanuatu live and work in New Caledonia. Although local pidgin, called Bislama, is the national language, English and French also are...
|