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Background:
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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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Location:
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Oceania,
group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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16 00 S,
167 00 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total:
12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of
which are inhabited |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
larger than Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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2,528 km
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Maritime claims:
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measured
from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical;
moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October;
moderate rainfall from November to April; may be
affected by cyclones from December to April |
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Terrain:
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mostly
mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal
plains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m |
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Natural resources:
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manganese, hardwood forests, fish |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 2.46%
permanent crops: 7.38%
other: 90.16% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA |
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Natural hazards:
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tropical
cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism
causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis |
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Environment - current issues:
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a
majority of the population does not have access to a
reliable supply of potable water; deforestation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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a
Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller
islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes
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Population:
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205,754
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 33.3% (male 35,039/female 33,553)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 66,311/female 63,502)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 3,878/female 3,471)
(2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
22.64 years
male: 22.68 years
female: 22.59 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.52%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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23.06
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.9
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
55.16 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 57.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 52.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 62.49 years
male: 61 years
female: 64.05 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.77
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective: Ni-Vanuatu |
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Ethnic groups:
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Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5% (1999 Census) |
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Religions:
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Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic
13.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian
13.8%, indigenous beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo
cult), other 9.6%, none 1%, unspecified 1.3% (1999
Census) |
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Languages:
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local
languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as
Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%,
other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74%
male: NA%
female: NA% (1999 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form: Vanuatu
former: New Hebrides |
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Government type:
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parliamentary republic |
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Capital:
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Port-Vila
(Efate) |
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Administrative divisions:
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6
provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba
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Independence:
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30 July
1980 (from France and UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 30 July (1980) |
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Constitution:
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30 July
1980 |
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Legal system:
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unified
system being created from former dual French and British
systems |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16
August 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Ham LINI
(since 11 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Sato
KILMAN (since 11 December 2004); Prime Minister Serge
VOHOR ousted in no-confidence vote on 11 December 2004
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
prime minister, responsible to Parliament
elections: president elected for a five-year term
by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the
presidents of the regional councils; election for
president last held 16 August 2004 (next to be held in
2009); following legislative elections, the leader of
the majority party or majority coalition is usually
elected prime minister by Parliament from among its
members; election for prime minister last held 29 July
2004 (next to be held following general elections in
2008)
election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected
president, with 49 votes out of 56, after several
ballots on 16 August 2004 |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2004 (next to be held
2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - UMP 8, VP 8, NUP 10, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP
3, other and independent 16; note - political party
associations are fluid
note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on
matters of culture and language |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after
consultation with the prime minister and the leader of
the opposition, three other justices are appointed by
the president on the advice of the Judicial Service
Commission) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Jon Frum
Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or
MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [leader
NA]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR];
Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI];
Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN];
Vanuatu Greens Party or VGP [Moana CARCASSES] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT,
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, PIF,
Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WMO, WTO (observer) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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Vanuatu
does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however,
have a Permanent Mission to the UN |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to
Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu |
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Flag description:
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two equal
horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black
isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all
separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of
a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist
side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle
is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves,
all in yellow |
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Economy - overview:
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This
South Pacific island economy is based primarily on
small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65%
of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services,
and tourism, with about 50,000 visitors in 2004, 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.
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. 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 center. In mid-2002
the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism.
Agriculture, especially livestock farming, is a second
target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the
main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$580
million (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.1%
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 26%
industry: 12%
services: 62% (2000 est.) |
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Labor force:
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NA |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (2000 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.1%
(2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $52.6 million
expenditures: $54.3 million, including capital
expenditures of $700,000 (2003 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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copra,
coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits,
vegetables; fish, beef |
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Industries:
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food and
fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1% (1997
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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48.42
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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45.03
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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600
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$26.6
million f.o.b. (2003) |
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Exports - commodities:
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copra,
beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee |
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Exports - partners:
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Thailand
47%, Malaysia 18.4%, Japan 7.5%, Belgium 5.4%, China
4.9% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$138
million c.i.f. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels |
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Imports - partners:
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Taiwan
24%, Australia 16.5%, Japan 11.4%, Singapore 8.5%, New
Zealand 7.2%, Fiji 6.3%, US 4.4% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$83.7
million (2002) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$27.5
million (2002) |
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Currency (code):
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vatu
(VUV) |
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Currency code:
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VUV |
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Exchange rates:
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vatu per
US dollar - 111.79 (2004), 122.19 (2003), 139.2 (2002),
145.31 (2001), 137.64 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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6,500
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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7,800
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 678; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM
4, shortwave 1 (2004) |
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Radios:
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67,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (2004)
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Televisions:
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2,300
(1999) |
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Internet country code:
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.vu |
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Internet hosts:
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512
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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1 (2000)
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Internet users:
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7,500
(2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
1,070 km
paved: 256 km
unpaved: 814 km (1999 est.) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Forari,
Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo) |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,192,474 GRT/1,560,828 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 16, container 1,
liquefied gas 2, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off
2, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 52 (Australia 2, Canada 5, Estonia
1, Greece 1, Israel 1, Japan 25, New Zealand 1, Poland
11, Russia 1, Switzerland 2, Thailand 1, United States
1)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
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Airports:
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30 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1524 to 2437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
27
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no
regular military forces; security forces comprise the
Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) and paramilitary Vanuatu
Mobile Force (VMF), which includes Vanuatu's naval
force, known as the Police Maritime Wing (PMW); border
security in Vanuatu is the joint responsibility of the
Customs and Inland Revenue Service, VPF, VMF, and PMW
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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Matthew
and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by
Vanuatu and France |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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