Introduction
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.
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates
16 00 S, 167 00 E
Area
total: 12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km
note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited
water: 0 sq km
Maritime claims
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate
tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Natural resources
manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Environment - current issues
a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water; deforestation
Environment - international agreements
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
Geography - note
a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes
Population
202,609 (July 2004 est.)
Capital
Port-Vila (Efate)