<p><img src="images/vanuatuflag.png" alt="" width="122" height="73" /></p>
<p>First inhabited by the Melanesian people some 4000 years ago, Vanuatu is part of the Oceanic continent in the South Pacific. Vanuatu lies 1750 kilometers east of northern Australia, 500 kilometers northeast of New Caledonia, east of New Guinea, southeast of the Solomon Islands and west of Fiji. Vanuatu’s latitude and longitude is 16 degrees 0’S and 167 degrees 0’E. Port Villa is the largest city and also the capital of Vanuatu. The official languages are Bislama, French and English. Vanuatu is divided into six provinces since 1994, with their own elected government collecting taxes and making by-laws</p>
<p>The first Europeans to have contact with the island were in 1606 by a Portuguese explorer. Europeans did not return until 1768 rediscovered by a French explorer. In 1774, Captain Cook named the island <em>New Hebrides</em>, a name lasting until independence in 1980.</p>
<p><strong><em>GEOGRAPHICAL STATE</em></strong></p>
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<p>The Y- shaped island consists of about 82 relatively small volcanic origin islands. The distance between the most northern and southern islands is about 1,300 kilometers. The total area of the country is about 12,274 square kilometers, of which the land mass is about 4700 square kilometers. There is limited land in Vanuatu, due to steep landscape and unstable soils. Furthermore, limited permanent fresh water, it is also estimated only 9% of land is used for agriculture.</p>
<p>Volcanic activity is common, with a number of active volcanoes and several underwater volcanoes. Major eruptions are a danger, with the most recent underwater eruption in 2008.</p>
<p><strong><em>POPULATION AND LIVELIHOOD</em></strong></p>
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<p>The population in Vanuatu is about 266,937 and is estimated to be growing at 2.4% annually. As a result, is placing increasing pressure on land and resources. Around 90% of households fish and consume fish for a living. Thus, has caused depletion of near shore fish species.</p>
<p> Deforestation is also a problem for well vegetated islands, due to logging. This has led to soil erosion and landslides. Other issues that are mainly arising are water and air pollution, additionally, lack of employment opportunities in industry. This is putting tremendous pressure on local ecosystems.</p>
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<p><strong><em>CLIMATE</em></strong></p>
<p>The climate is tropical, with cool temperatures between April and September; and becomes hotter in October. South easterly trade winds occur from May to October. December to April is cyclone seasons being the wettest and hottest months.</p>
<p>Vanuatu is also prone to earthquakes which are relatively frequent and mostly of higher magnitude.</p>
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<p><strong><em>ECONOMY</em></strong></p>
<p>The four main contributing sector of the economy are agriculture, tourism, offshore financial services, and raising cattle. Additionally, fishing is quite popular though it does not input much foreign exchange.</p>
<p>Major Export commodities include copra, kava, beef, cocoa, and timber. The country’s imports are mainly machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, and fuels.</p>
<p>Tourism is the main economic benefactor for the country bringing in much needed foreign exchange. Thus, Vanuatu is widely recognized as one of the premier destinations for scuba diving. Promotion for tourism has been a boost since filming Hollywood and Australian based movies in the country.</p>
<p>In addition, foreign aid to Vanuatu is mainly from Australia and New Zealand.</p>
<p>Vanuatu is a tax haven as there is no income tax, withholding tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, or exchange tax.  Until 2008, Vanuatu do not release account information to other governments or law enforcement agencies. Due to international pressure, the government began to adhere to international laws to improve transparency</p>
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