Facts about Vanuatu
The National Council of Chiefs, called the "Malvatu Mauri," advises the government on matters concerning Ni-Vanuatu culture and language.
The Vanuatu government is being pressured to adhere to international norms.
Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is a Melanesian island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean.
The Parliament of Vanuatu is unicameral, and has 52 members; these are elected every four years by popular vote, unless dissolved earlier.
The Vanuatu Mobile Force, a paramilitary group, attempted a coup in 1996, because of a pay dispute.
People speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands of Vanuatu some 4000 years ago.
Vanuatu suffered from the practice of "black birding," wherein half of the adult male population of some islands became indentured workers in Australia.
Most of the inhabitants of Vanuatu (98.5 percent) are native Melanesian, or "Ni-Vanuatu," with the remainder made up of a mix of Europeans, Asians, and other Pacific islanders.
Vanuatu has joined the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique.
Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands, two of which—Matthew and Hunter Islands—are also claimed by New Caledonia.
Vanuatu was the location of a unique Anglo-French government system, it operates as a tax haven, and it is home to a messianic cargo cult that continues as a political party.
During the 1990s, Vanuatu experienced political instability, which resulted in a more decentralized government.
Government and society in Vanuatu tend to divide along linguistic—French and English—lines.
Many large companies have chosen to incorporate in Vanuatu to avoid regulation and legal challenges.
The highest point in Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, at 6158 feet (1,879 meters), on the island of Espiritu Santo.
The music of Vanuatu, as an industry, grew rapidly in the 1990s, and several bands have forged a distinctive Vanuatuan identity—especially bands like Huarere and Tropic Tempo, XX-Squad, and artists like Vanessa Quai.
The Vanuatuan economy is based primarily on subsistence or small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65 percent of the population.