Norfolk Island (2005) | Vanuatu (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 34.8% (male 35,499; female 33,992)
15-64 years: 61.8% (male 63,021; female 60,149) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 3,605; female 3,148) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry | copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 30 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1524 to 2437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 17 (2002) |
Area | total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands |
Area - comparative | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Connecticut |
Background | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. | 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. |
Birth rate | NA | 24.26 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $20 million
expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00) |
revenues: $94.4 million
expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4 million (1996 est.) |
Capital | Kingston | Port-Vila |
Climate | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation | tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds |
Coastline | 32 km | 2,528 km |
Constitution | Norfolk Island Act of 1979 | 30 July 1980 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides |
Currency | - | vatu (VUV) |
Death rate | NA | 8.13 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | NA | $68.6 million (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN |
Disputes - international | none | Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $45.8 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. | 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. A severe earthquake in November 1999 followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote and left thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the capital, Port-Vila, and surrounding areas, and also was followed by a tsunami. GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of foreign aid. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 40.42 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 43.46 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | 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 |
Ethnic groups | descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians | indigenous Melanesian 98%, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, other Pacific Islanders |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) | vatu per US dollar - 139.2 (2002), 145.31 (2001), 137.64 (2000), 129.08 (1999), 127.52 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)
head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 Ocotber 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2% |
chief of state: President Father John BANI (since 25 March 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Edward Nipake NATAPEI (since 13 April 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Ham LINI (since NA) 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 2004); 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 2 August 2002 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: Father John BANI elected president on second vote (24 March 1999) after the first (17 March 1999) did not have any candidate with the required two-thirds majority; percent of electoral college vote - NA% |
Exports | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY99/00) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados | copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee |
Exports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | India 32.5%, Thailand 22.8%, South Korea 10.5%, Indonesia 6.3%, Japan 4.9% (2002) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band | 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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $563 million (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
agriculture: 26%
industry: 12% services: 62% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - NA | purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | -0.3% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 29 02 S, 167 57 E | 16 00 S, 167 00 E |
Geography - note | most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated | a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes |
Highways | total: 80 km
paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2001) |
total: 1,070 km
paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | NA | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels |
Imports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | Australia 22.1%, Japan 19.2%, New Zealand 10.1%, Singapore 8.1%, Fiji 6.6%, Taiwan 5%, India 5% (2002) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 30 July 1980 (from France and UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | 1% (1997 est.) |
Industries | tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete | food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 58.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 60.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA | 3.2% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | UPU | ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, NAM, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions | 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) |
Labor force | 1,345 | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | tourism 90%, subsistence agriculture 10% | agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 2.46%
permanent crops: 7.38% other: 90.16% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian | three official languages: English, French, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama), plus more than 100 local languages |
Legal system | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law | unified system being created from former dual French and British systems |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 May 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 15, VP 14, VRP 3, MPP 2, other and independent 18; note - political party associations are fluid note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 61.71 years
male: 60.28 years female: 63.21 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 53% male: 57% female: 48% (1979 est.) |
Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
Map references | Oceania | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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 |
Merchant marine | - | total: 52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,181,463 GRT/1,552,813 DWT
ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 5, combination bulk 3, container 3, liquefied gas 2, multi-function large-load carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 7, vehicle carrier 5 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 3, Canada 2, China 1, Japan 25, Monaco 4, Netherlands 1, NZ 5, Panama 1, Poland 1, Switzerland 2, UK 4, US 2, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | - |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF; including the paramilitary Mobile Force or VMF) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) | Independence Day, 30 July (1980) |
Nationality | noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective: Ni-Vanuatu |
Natural hazards | typhoons (especially May to July) | tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis |
Natural resources | fish | manganese, hardwood forests, fish |
Net migration rate | NA | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Dinh Van THAN]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuaaku Party (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 1,828 (July 2005 est.) | 199,414 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.01% (2005 est.) | 1.61% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade | Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) | AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2002) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) | 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% (including Jon Frum Cargo cult) |
Sex ratio | NA | 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: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) | 5,500 (1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) | 310 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) | 1 (2002) |
Terrain | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains | mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains |
Total fertility rate | NA | 2.98 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0% | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |