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VANUATUWith only 220,000 people spread out across 83 islands and only about 70,000 annual tourist arrivals, Vanuatu remains one of Oceania's best kept travel secrets. If you're into warm water, excellent visibility and an extraordinary diversity of dive sites that offer just about everything from pristine coral reefs and big animal action to world-class shipwrecks including the renowned SS President Coolidge, put Vanuatu at the top of your "must visit" list. HISTORY According to archaeologists, evidence of humans in the islands of Vanuatu dates back at least 4,000 years. Europeans arrived in 1606 when Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandez De Quiros "discovered" the island now called Espiritu Santo. The islands were mostly forgotten until 1768 when Louis Antoine de Bougainville "rediscovered" the islands after 162 years and wrote that he had been "transported to the Garden of Eden". Six years later in 1774, Captain James Cook arrived and named the islands the New Hebrides. In the 19th century the English and French, despite being enemies that were often at war during the period, settled in to exploit the New Hebrides for whales, sandalwood, agriculture and especially slave labor, which was called "blackbirding". In 1906, after decades of bickering and threats, both sides agreed on a mandate — the British-French Condominium — which established two separate governments in the archipelago. The arrival during World War II of the Americans, with their egalitarianism, wealth and power, was the beginning of the end of the old European colonial order. The rise of nationalism led to the establishment of political parties that demanded, and won independence in 1980, when the Republic of Vanuatu was created. Political infighting destablized the government during the 1980s and 1990s and led to violent riots and a sharp decline in foreign investment. In 2004, a new government was elected that has gradually turned the country around and earned international praise for good governance. WHEN TO GO The best time to visit Vanuatu is during the dry season from May to October when the average temperature is 23°C (73°F). During the winter season from June to August the ocean temperature drops to 21°C. The rainy season starts in November, peaks in January and the weather remains hot and humid through April. FACTS ABOUT VANUATU - Location: Oceania
- Geographic coordinates:
16 00 S, 167 00 E - Time zone: GMT/UTC +11
- Area: 12,189 sq km
- Coastline: 2,528 km
- Max elevation: 1,877 m
- Population: 221,539
- Capital: Port Vila
- Government: Parliamentary republic
- Currency: Vatu (VUV)
- Ethnic groups: 94% ni-Vanuatu; 4% European; 2% other Pacific Islanders, Asian
- Language: 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%
- Literacy 74% total
- Religion: 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%
- Life Expectancy: 63.22 total, 61.67 male, 64.84 female
- Internet Country Code: .vu
- GDP: US$726 million
- GDP per capita: US$3,346
- Major Industries: Food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning, tourism
- Agriculture products: Copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish
- Natural resources: Manganese, hardwood forests, fish
- Climate: 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
- Average sea surface temp: 24 °C
- Average annual rainfall: 995 mm
- Average tourist arrivals: 70,000
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