Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Cultural, Historical, and Statistical Country Information
Skip Navigation Links
 COMPARE COUNTRIESExpand  COMPARE COUNTRIES
LEARNING GAMESExpand LEARNING GAMES
TEACHER RESOURCES
GLOSSARY
SUBSCRIBE
Skip Navigation Links
Other Products
Skip Navigation Links
NH Flag  Vanuatu —  (vä´nōō ä´tōō)
About The People

Did You Know...... There are over 113 languages spoken in Vanuatu. Official languages are English, French and Bislama (  »» More

Fashion... In urban areas Western style of clothing is worn. In rural areas women may wear a fiber skirt withou  »» More

Family... Family roles vary depending upon the area. In some villages the men are in charge in others the wome  »» More

Sports & Recreation... A lack of electricity in many rural areas limits the recreational activities. Socializing and drinki  »» More

World Region: Oceania
Vanuatu Area Maps
View More Maps of Vanuatu
Vanuatu History
The prehistory of Vanuatu is obscure; archaeological evidence supports the commonly held theory that peoples speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 4,000 years ago. Pottery fragments have been found dating back to 1300-1100 B.C.

The first island in the Vanuatu group discovered by Europeans was Espiritu Santo, when in 1606 the Portuguese explorer, Pedro Fernandez De Quiros, spied what he thought was a southern continent. Europeans did not return until 1768, when Louis Antoine de Bougainville rediscovered the islands. In 1774, Captain Cook named the islands the New Hebrides, a name that lasted until independence.

In 1825, trader Peter Dillon’s discovery of sandalwood  »» More

Statistics, Graphs, Charts, & Data Tables
Capital Cities... Port-Villa
Population: 218,519
GDP: $983,200,000 (USD)
Total Area: 12,200 (sq km) 4,710 (sq mi)
Currency: vatu
Login   •  Subscribe   •  Feedback   •  Sample Country   •  About us
FAQ   •  Terms of Use   •  Citation   •  CountryReports ©1997 - 2010