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Vanuatu

Driving Directions Vanuatu

VANUATU is a parliamentary republic that has been independent since 1980. It was formerly known as the New Hebrides and jointly held by France and Great Britain.

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It consists of some 12 islands and 60 islets in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Most of the islands are volcanic and densely forested, with raised coral beaches and fringed by coral reefs.

The climate is tropical.

Cultivated land generally restricted to the coastal plains, and the main cash crops are copra, cocoa beans, and cof­fee. Meat and fish are also exported, and light industries include food pro­cessing and handicrafts for a booming tourist industry.

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Vanuatu’s entire island chain results from active volcanism as the Australian and Pacific Tectonic Plates converge at a rate of 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) per year, uplifting Vanuatu around 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) per year. Lying along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country has active volcanoes on Tanna, Ambrim, and Lopevi. Seventy of the eighty islands in Vanuatu are inhabited.

The Pacific Ocean surrounding the islands contains many coral reefs that plunge to hundreds of meters below the surface. There are also several underwater volcanoes.

Did you know about Vanuatu?

Oceania is a term that refers to the islands in the central and south Pacific and adjacent seas. The region’s boundaries are the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the southern tip of New Zealand.

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