vänˌoo-äˈtoo, formerly New Hebrides hĕbˈrĭdēz, officially Republic of Vanuatu, independent republic (1995 est. pop. 174,000), c.5,700 sq mi (14,760 sq km), South Pacific, E of Australia. Vanuatu is a 450-mi (724-km) chain of 80 islands, of which the most important are Espíritu Santo (the largest), Efate, Malakula, Malo, Pentecost, and Tanna. The capital, Vila, is on Efate. Vanuatu's islands are forested and mountainous, with the highest peak (c.6,195 ft/1,890 m) on Espiritu Santo.

People, Economy, and Government

The population is predominantly Melanesians, with some Polynesians; there are also Chinese settlers and Vietnamese laborers. Bislama, English and French are official languages, but a local pidgin called Bislama or Bichelama is also widely spoken. The majority of the population is Christian. The chief industries are copra production, tuna fishing, manganese mining, and cattle raising. Additional revenues derive from a growing tourist industry and the development of Vila as a corporate tax shelter. A member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Vanuatu has a president, a prime minister and council, and a unicameral parliament. Administratively, Vanautu is divided into 11 island councils.

History

Legends dating to the 15th cent. describe a huge explosion in the South Pacific; in 1993 a scientist suggested that the Vanuatan islands of Tongoa and Epi (since separated by the island of Kuwae) were created in 1453 when a larger island was split in two by an enormous volcanic explosion. The archipelago was visited in 1606 by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandez de Queiros, and in 1774 Capt. James Cook made the first systematic exploration of the islands, which became known as the New Hebrides.

English missionaries began arriving in the early 19th cent. With them came the "sandalwooders," who, once the local sources of sandalwood ran out, began kidnapping natives for the sugar and cotton plantations in Queensland, Australia. British attempts to halt the decimation of the native population met success in 1887, when the islands were placed under an Anglo-French naval commission. The commission was replaced by a condominium in 1906. During World War II the islands served as bases for Allied forces in the Pacific theater.

In 1980 the New Hebrides became independent as Vanuatu, and a secession movement on Espiritu Santo was put down with aid from Papua New Guinea and Britain. A coalition government led by Prime Minister Maxime Carlot took office in 1991. Jean-Marie Léyé was elected president in 1994. Carlot's government lost power after the 1995 general elections, but the new coalition foundered, and Corlot again was prime minister from April to September in 1996, when Serge Vohor took office. After new elections in 1998, Donald Kalpokas became prime minister, but a no-confidence motion in 1999, led to his resignation, and Barak Sopé succeeded him. Also in 1999, John Bernard Bani was elected president. Edward Natapei replaced Sopé as prime minister in 2001. Alfred Maseng became the country's fifth president in Apr., 2004.

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