Vanuatu (English ⁱ/ˌvɑːnuːˈɑːtuː/ vah-noo-ah-too or /vænˈwɑːtuː/ van-wah-too; Bislama IPA: [vanuaˈtu]), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some 1,750 kilometres (1,090 mi) east of northern Australia, 500 kilometres (310 mi) northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.

Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. The first Europeans to visit the islands were the members of a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Fernandes de Queirós, who arrived in Espiritu Santo in 1605; he claimed the archipelago forSpain and named it Espiritu Santo or Holy Spirit. In the 1880s France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the country, and in 1906 they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through a British–French Condominium. An independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded in 1980.

The nation’s name was derived from the word vanua (“land” or “home”),^[7] which occurs in several Austronesian languages,^[8] and the word tu (“stand”).^[9] Together the two words indicated the independent status of the new nation.^[9]

Republic of Vanuatu Ripablik blong Vanuatu  (Bislama) République de Vanuatu  (French)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: “Long God yumi stanap” (Bislama) “In God we stand”[1][2][3]
Anthem: Yumi, Yumi, Yumi  (Bislama) We, We, We
Capital (and largest city)		Port Vila 17°45′S 168°18′E
Official languages		Bislama English French
Ethnic groups(1999)		98.5% Ni-Vanuatu 1.5% other
Demonym		Ni-Vanuatu Vanuatuan
Government		Unitary parliamentary republic
–	President	Iolu Abil
–	Prime Minister	Sato Kilman
Legislature		Parliament
Independence
–	from France and theUnited Kingdom	30 July 1980
Area
–	Total	12,190 km2 (161st) 4,710 sq mi
Population
–	July 2011[5] estimate	224,564
–	2009 census	243,304[4]
–	Density	19.7/km2 (188th) 51/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
–	Total	$1.204 billion[6]
–	Per capita	$4,916[6]
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
–	Total	$743 million[6]
–	Per capita	$3,036[6]
HDI (2004)		0.693 (medium) (126th)
Currency		Vanuatu vatu (VUV)
Time zone		VUT (Vanuatu Time)(UTC+11)
Drives on the		right
ISO 3166 code		VU
Internet TLD		.vu
Calling code		678

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