Vanuatu |
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The Republic of Vanuatu, the island nation comprises about 82 islands, is located in the South Pacific Ocean. Port Vila is the capital of Vanuatu. The archipelago is situated at the east of northern Australia, north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands. HISTORY:- The region was first inhabited around 3500 years ago. Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queiros sighted the land in 1606. British navigator James Cook arrived in the land in 1774 and named it New Hebrides. In 1906, British and French interests over the region led to the condominium government, in which joint British-French rule was granted. During the World War II, the region was served as the major base for the Allied force. Following the war, struggle for independence started, which was achieved in 1980 with the new name of the country-Vanuatu. GEOGRAPHY:- The archipelago of Vanuatu is located at 16 00 S, 167 00 E in the Oceania. The island group spans through 12,200 sq km and comprises more than 80 islands. The coastline is 2,528 km long along with the South Pacific Ocean. The lowest point is Pacific Ocean (0 m) and the highest point is Tabwemasana (1,877 m). Most of the islands of the archipelago are mountainous of volcanic origin, with narrow coastal plains. CLIMATE:- The climate of Vanuatu varies from Tropical or subtropical. The temperature is moderated by the southeast trade winds from May to October. A moderate rainfall can be seen from November to April. The islands get affected by the cyclones from December to April. GOVERNMENT:- Vanuatu has a parliamentary republic. The constitution was adopted on 30th July 1980. The legal system is a blend of the former dual French and British systems. The three major branches of the government are: Executive branch comprises the President (chief of state), the Prime Minister (head of government), the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Council of Ministers. The president is elected on a 5-year term by an electoral college, comprises the Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils. The leader of the majority party or the majority coalition is usually elected the prime minister by the Parliament from among the members of the Parliament itself. The council of ministers is appointed by the prime minister and the ministers are responsible to the Parliament. Legislative branch comprises the unicameral Parliament (52 seats). Judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court. The chief justice of the Supreme Court is appointed by the president after consulting with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition party, while three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission. Major political parties of Vanuatu are Melanesian Progressive Party (MPP), Union of Moderate Parties (UMP), National United Party (NUP), Vanua'aku Party (VP), Vanuatu Republican Party (VRP), the Confederation of Greens (CG), John Frum group, People's Progressive Party (PPP), and National Community Association (NCA). Suffrage is universal at the age of 18. President Kalkot Mataskelekele ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Vanuatu is composed of 6 provinces: Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, and Torba. CULTURE:- Vanuatu can be divided into three cultural regions: the north, the central, and the south. Drums, slit gongs, rattles are the major traditional musical instruments of the archipelago. Zouk music and reggaeton are also very popular. Cricket is the most popular sport of Vanuatu. Fish, root vegetables like taro and yams, fruits, and vegetables are the main ingredients of the cuisine of Vanuatu. ECONOMY:- The economy of Vanuatu rests on mainly small-scale agriculture. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism are the other economic activities of the islands. Import duties are the main sources of tax revenues. Dependence on few commodity exports, cyclones, and distances from main markets and between other islands are the main obstacles to economic growth of the archipelago. GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $897 million; per capita $3,900. Real growth rate: 5%. Inflation: 3.9%. Unemployment: 1.7% (1999). Arable land: 2%. Agriculture: Copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish. Labor force: 76,410 (1999); agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (2000 est.). Industries: Food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning. Budget: Debt - external: $81.2 million (2004) Natural resources: Manganese, hardwood forests, fish. Exports: $34.11 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee. Imports: $117.1 million c.i.f. (2004 est.): machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels. Major trading partners: Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Belgium, China, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Fiji, U.S. (2004). Monetary unit: Vatu LANGUAGE:- Bislama, English, and French are the official languages of Vanuatu. CITIES:- The city of Port Vila is the capital and the largest city of Vanuatu. Another major town is Luganville. POPULATION:- The estimated population of Vanuatu is 211,971 with a growth rate of 1.5%. RACE:- RELIGION:- HEALTH:- UNICEF:- UNICEF’s Child Protection Programme fights against violence against children. UNICEF and its partners provide psychosocial support to social, environmental or political conflict-affected children. UNICEF’s Adolescent Development and Child Health Programme promotes awareness on HIV among the youth, trains the youth to enhance their skills. Teenage pregnancy, sexual abuse and trafficking of children are the major issues with the country. UNICEF supplies vaccines at a low cost. UNICEF partners with civil registrars and health ministries to assist them in birth registration. TRANSPORTATION:- Posted by subhasis on Friday Aug 22 reply Comments |
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