The Probert Encyclopaedia of Places of the World

VANUATU

The Republic of Vanuatu (formerly known as the New Hebrides) is a country comprising a group of over eighty islands forming a 'Y' shape in the south Pacific Ocean. Vanuatu has a total area of 14,760 km2. The climate is tropical; moderated by south-east trade winds. The terrain is mostly mountains of volcanic origin and narrow coastal plains. Natural resources are manganese, hardwood forests, fish. The religion is nominally Christian. The official languages are English and French with over 100 indigenous languages also spoken. Vanuatu was discovered in 1774 by Captain James Cook, and was jointly administered by Britain and France until its independence in 1980.
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