Information About Vanuatu

History of Vanuatu

The Austronesia-speaking ethnic groups are believed to be the first settlers in the land of Vanuatu 4,000 years ago. The catholic missionaries and the Protestants came to the region in the 19th century where they worked with the people and transformed them into Christianity. The British-French condominium was formed in 1906 where the two powers agreed to jointly annex the islands although the French was twice the number of British. The rise of nationalism in the region was started by the British who invaded the region during the World War II. Walter Lini formed the New Hebrides national party, the first political party which pushed until the establishment of the independent republic of Vanuatu in 1980. The recurring political instability within the country has decentralized the government of Vanuatu in the 1990's with several coups attempts.

Geography of Vanuatu

Vanuatu is made of 82 smaller volcanic islands where only 62 are inhabited and lies between Hawaii and Australia. The country covers an area of 12, 189 square kilometers with no part of its land is under water. The country has a coastline with most of its islands being mountainous and of a volcanic origin. The little permanent fresh water found in the steep islands make the country to have very small area under agriculture. The shorelines are dropping with no continental shelf and active volcanic activities are common in this country. The Pacific Ocean at zero meters below the sea level is the lowest point, while the Tubwemasana at 1, 817 meters above the sea level is the most elevated area in Vanuatu.

Climate of Vanuatu

The climate is tropical where from May to October the southeast trade winds moderate the climate. There is a probability of cyclone formation during the nine months of hot rainy weather while the other three months are usually cool and dry. The cyclone season is expected from December to April which is the hottest and wettest months with equally distributed rainfall during the long rainfall season. The tropical cyclones are a great threat to the people of Vanuatu where the 2015 incident caused a lot of damage. In 2011, seven earthquakes were recorded in the country.

Natural Resources in Vanuatu

The hilly and mountainous islands are usually forested providing both timber and source of energy. The location of the country in the Pacific Ocean provides good fishing sites and some deposits of manganese are found in the country.

Tourist Attraction in Vanuatu

The natural landmarks and the traditions of Vanuatu have been well preserved making it an impressive and a beautiful nation visited by large crowds of tourists. The common volcanic activities in this state has resulted to the emergence of various permanent landmarks such as the Kuwae submarine volcanoes, benbow lava lakes, craters and bio types; the hot springs of takara, the Nagpen river with bitter taste water due to the sulfur springs and the caves such as the blue cave, are among the magnetic landmarks in Vanuatu attracting many tourists year in, year out. Other great sites include the mele and siri waterfalls which create brimstone pools at the base, the traditional Banyan trees of Tanna owned by every cultural village and other man-made landmarks including the arts and petroglyphs are also present in Vanuatu. The major cities of Vanuatu include:

• Port Vila
• Luganville
• Norsup
• Port Olry
• Isangel
• Lakatoro

Famous Hotels in Vanuatu

The famous hotels of Vanuatu are

• Ratua Private Island
• Eratap Beach Resort
• Barrier Beach House
• Tumanu on the Beach
• The Terraces Boutique Apartments
• Vale Vale Beachfront Villas

Vanuatu Cuisine and Culture

Traditional music instrument such as drums, slit gongs and rattles are used in the traditional songs. The sand drawing is still a recognized form of painting while cricket is a popular game in Vanuatu. The dominating religion is the Christianity consisting of the Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans. Fish and root vegetables such as yam are very common in Vanuatu and some fruits such as the mangoes and pineapples. Most foods are usually cooked through boiling or the use of hot stone thus you will rarely find fried foods while the foods are flavored using creams and coconut milk. A traditional non-alcoholic drink known as kava, drunk mostly by the men in the dusk, is a popular drink, while the lap lap is the national dish.

International Airports in Vanuatu

• Santo Pekoa international airport
• Bauer field international airport
• South west bay airport
• Maewo naone airport
• Mota Lava airport
• Lamen bay airport
• Dillon's bay airport