Vanuatu Location:
17°45'S, 168°18'E
Vanuatu (IPA: [?v??nu'??tu]), officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is located some 1,750 km (1090 mi) east of Australia, 500 km (310 mi) north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji and south of the Solomon Islands.
Vanuatu Geography:
Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands, of which two — Matthew and Hunter — are also claimed by the French overseas department of New Caledonia. Of all the 83 islands, 14 have surface areas of more than 100 square kilometres, from largest to smallest: Espiritu Santo (3956 km2/1527 mi2), Malakula (2041 km2/788 mi2), Efate (900 km2/350 mi2), Erromango (888 km2/343 mi2), Ambrym (678 km2/262 mi2), Tanna (555 km2/214 mi2), Pentecost (491 km2/190 mi2), Epi (445 km2/172 mi2), Ambae or Aoba (402 km2/155 mi2), Vanua Lava (334 km2/129 mi2), Gaua (328 km2/127 mi2), Maewo (304 km2/117 mi2), Malo (180 km2/70 mi2) and Anatom or Aneityum (159 km2/65 mi2).
Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin, and have a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The nation's largest towns are the capital Port Vila, which is situated on Efate, and Luganville, on Espiritu Santo. The highest point in Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, at 1879 m (6158 ft), on the island of Espiritu Santo. There are several active volcanoes in Vanuatu, including Lopevi as well as several underwater ones. Volcanic activity is common with an ever-present danger of a major eruption, the last of which occurred in 1945. Rainfall averages about 2,360 millimetres (94 in.) per year but can be as high as 4,000 millimetres (160 in.) in the northern islands.
Vanuatu is recognised as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion, known as the Vanuatu rain forests. Vanuatu is part of the Australasia ecozone, which also includes neighbouring New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, as well as Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.
Vanuatu People:
Population
- July 2006 estimate 209,000 (183rd)
- Density 17 /km2 (188th)
44 /sq mi
Vanuatu Government:
Government Republic
- President Kalkot Mataskelekele
- Prime Minister Ham Lini
Vanuatu Economy:
The economy is based primarily on subsistence or small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism (with about 50,000 visitors in 1997), are 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 and a 12.5 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. A severe earthquake in November 1999, followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote, leaving thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the capital, Port-Vila, and surrounding areas, and also was followed by a tsunami.
GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial centre. In mid-2002, the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of Vanuatu's foreign aid. Vanuatu is a tax haven that does not release account information to other governments and law enforcement agencies. Pressure is however being brought to bear on the Vanuatu government to adhere to international norms to improve transparency in this respect. In Vanuatu, there is no income tax, no withholding tax, no capital gains tax, no inheritance taxes, and no exchange controls. Several file sharing groups such as the providers of the KaZaA network of Sharman Networks and the developers of WinMX have chosen to incorporate in Vanuatu to avoid regulation and legal challenges.
The ninth season of the reality TV series Survivor was filmed on Vanuatu, entitled Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire. Two years later, Australia's Celebrity Survivor was filmed in the same location used by the U.S. version.
Vanuatu More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanuatu | 
