Vanuatu (2001) | Jersey (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba | none (British crown dependency) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
36.35% (male 35,822; female 34,299) 15-64 years: 60.43% (male 59,764; female 56,808) 65 years and over: 3.22% (male 3,348; female 2,869) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 17.9% (male 8,287; female 7,729)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 30,099; female 30,347) 65 years and over: 14.8% (male 5,729; female 7,584) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 32 (2000 est.) | 1 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 17 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
12,200 sq km land: 12,200 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands |
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Connecticut | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The British and French who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980. | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 25.4 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 10.86 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$94.4 million expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4 million (1996 est.) |
revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Port-Vila | Saint Helier |
Climate | tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 2,528 km | 70 km |
Constitution | 30 July 1980 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Vanuatu conventional short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | vatu (VUV) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound |
Death rate | 8.38 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.22 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $48 million (1997 est.) | none |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu | none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US, it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | claims Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $45.8 million (1995) | none |
Economy - overview | The economy is based primarily on subsistence or small-scale agriculture which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with about 50,000 visitors in 1997, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. The most recent natural disaster, a severe earthquake in November 1999 followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote and left thousands homeless. GDP growth has risen less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government is moving to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. |
Electricity - consumption | 32.6 million kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 35 million kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water; deforestation | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Ethnic groups | indigenous Melanesian 94%, French 4%, Vietnamese, Chinese, Pacific Islanders | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | vatu per US dollar - 143.95 (December 2000), 137.82 (2000), 129.08 (1999), 127.52 (1998), 115.87 (1997), 111.72 (1996) | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6981 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Father John BANI (since 25 March 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Edward NATAPEI (since 16 April 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Serge VOHOR (since 16 April 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected for a four-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils for a five-year term; election for president last held 25 March 1999 (next to be held NA 2003); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 16 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: Father John BANI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA%; Edward NATAPEI elected prime minister by Parliament with a total of 27 out of 52 votes note: the government of Prime Minister Barak SOPE was ousted in a no confidence vote on 14 April 2001 and Edward NATAPEI was elected the new prime minister by Parliament |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1999) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | copra, kava, beef, cocoa, timber, coffee | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | Japan 32%, Germany 14%, Spain 8%, New Caledonia 7%, Australia 2% (1997 est.) | UK |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $245 million (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
20% industry: 9% services: 71% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,300 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | -2.5% (1999 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 16 00 S, 167 00 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | - | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Highways | total:
1,070 km paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1996) |
total: 577 km (1995)
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $77.2 million (f.o.b., 1999) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Japan 52%, Australia 20%, New Caledonia, Singapore, New Zealand, France, Fiji (1997 est.) | UK |
Independence | 30 July 1980 (from France and UK) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1% (1997 est.) | NA% |
Industries | food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning | tourism, banking and finance, dairy |
Infant mortality rate | 61.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 5.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (1999 est.) | 4.7% (1998) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (observer) | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | NA |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission) | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | NA | 57,050 (1996) (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 65%, services 32%, industry 3% (1995 est.) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
2% permanent crops: 10% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 75% other: 11% (1993 est.) |
arable land: NEGL%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), French (official), pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | unified system being created from former dual French and British systems | English law and local statute |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VP 18, UMP 12, NUP 11, other and independent 11; note - political party associations are fluid; there have been four changes of government since the November 1995 elections note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land |
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
60.95 years male: 59.58 years female: 62.39 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 78.78 years
male: 76.34 years female: 81.4 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 53% male: 57% female: 48% (1979 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,067,384 GRT/1,330,543 DWT ships by type: bulk 23, cargo 7, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 2, container 1, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 7, vehicle carrier 6 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 2, Canada 1, China 1, France 1, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Japan 22, Netherlands 1, Norway 1, Switzerland 1, US 4 (2000 est.) |
none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF; includes the paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force or VMF) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 30 July (1980) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun:
Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural) adjective: Ni-Vanuatu |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes | NA |
Natural resources | manganese, hardwood forests, fish | arable land |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 2.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Willie TITONGOA]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuaaku Party (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party [Maxime Carlot KORMAN] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 192,910 (July 2001 est.) | 89,775 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.7% (2001 est.) | 0.44% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo) | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 62,000 (1997) | NA |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 15%, indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of Christ 3.8%, other 15.7% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | NA years of age; universal adult |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 4,000 (1996) | 65,500 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 154 (1996) | 4,400 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 3.19 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.57 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 0.7% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |