Vanuatu (2003) | Jamaica (2004) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba | 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation |
Age structure | 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.) |
0-14 years: 28.2% (male 390,966; female 372,961)
15-64 years: 65% (male 883,053; female 880,296) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 82,788; female 103,066) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef | sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, vegetables, poultry, goats, milk, crustaceans, and mollusks |
Airports | 30 (2002) | 35 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1524 to 2437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 17 (2002) |
total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands |
total: 10,991 sq km
land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Connecticut | slightly smaller than Connecticut |
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. | Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s. |
Birth rate | 24.26 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 16.94 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $94.4 million
expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4 million (1996 est.) |
revenues: $2.596 billion
expenditures: $3.111 billion, including capital expenditures of $236 million (2003 est.) |
Capital | Port-Vila | Kingston |
Climate | tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds | tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior |
Coastline | 2,528 km | 1,022 km |
Constitution | 30 July 1980 | 6 August 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica |
Currency | vatu (VUV) | Jamaican dollar (JMD) |
Death rate | 8.13 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $68.6 million (2000 est.) | $4.962 billion (2003 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu | chief of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859 FAX: [1] (876) 935-6001 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN | chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
Disputes - international | Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $45.8 million (1995) | $16 million (2003) |
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. 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. | The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for 70% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. The global economic slowdown, particularly after the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001, stunted economic growth; the economy rebounded moderately in 2003, with one of the best tourist seasons on record. But the economy faces serious long-term problems: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a sizable merchandise trade deficit; large-scale unemployment; and a growing internal debt, the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy. The ratio of debt to GDP is close to 150%. Inflation, previously a bright spot, is expected to remain in the double digits. Depressed economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including gang violence fueled by the drug trade. In 2004, the government faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth. |
Electricity - consumption | 40.42 million kWh (2001) | 5.833 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 43.46 million kWh (2001) | 6.272 billion 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: Tabwemasana 1,877 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m |
Environment - current issues | a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water; deforestation | heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions |
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 |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | indigenous Melanesian 98%, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, other Pacific Islanders | black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1% |
Exchange rates | vatu per US dollar - 139.2 (2002), 145.31 (2001), 137.64 (2000), 129.08 (1999), 127.52 (1998) | Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 57.7409 (2003), 48.4159 (2002), 45.9962 (2001), 42.7011 (2000), 39.0435 (1999) |
Executive branch | 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% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister |
Exports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee | alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels |
Exports - partners | India 32.5%, Thailand 22.8%, South Korea 10.5%, Indonesia 6.3%, Japan 4.9% (2002) | US 29.6%, UK 11%, Canada 10.8%, France 7.9%, Norway 6.8%, Germany 6.2%, China 6%, Netherlands 4.4% (2003) |
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 | diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $563 million (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $10.61 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 26%
industry: 12% services: 62% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 6.7%
industry: 37.2% services: 56.2% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3,900 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | -0.3% (2002 est.) | 1.9% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 16 00 S, 167 00 E | 18 15 N, 77 30 W |
Geography - note | a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes | strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal |
Highways | total: 1,070 km
paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1999 est.) |
total: 18,700 km
paved: 13,109 km unpaved: 5,591 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 30.3% (2000) |
Illicit drugs | - | major transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions |
Imports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels | food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials |
Imports - partners | Australia 22.1%, Japan 19.2%, New Zealand 10.1%, Singapore 8.1%, Fiji 6.6%, Taiwan 5%, India 5% (2002) | US 39.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 9.7%, Germany 5.6%, Venezuela 4.5%, France 4.5%, Japan 4.2% (2003) |
Independence | 30 July 1980 (from France and UK) | 6 August 1962 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1% (1997 est.) | -2% (2000 est.) |
Industries | food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning | tourism, bauxite/alumina, textiles, agro processing, wearing apparel, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications |
Infant mortality rate | 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.) |
total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.2% (2001 est.) | 10.3% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | 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) | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 250 sq km (1998 est.) |
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) | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal |
Labor force | NA | 1.13 million (2003) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (2000 est.) | agriculture 21%, industry 19%, services 60% (1998) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.46%
permanent crops: 7.38% other: 90.16% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 10.16% other: 73.77% (2001) |
Languages | three official languages: English, French, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama), plus more than 100 local languages | English, patois English |
Legal system | unified system being created from former dual French and British systems | based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | 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 |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held in October 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 61.71 years
male: 60.28 years female: 63.21 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 76.07 years
male: 74.04 years female: 78.21 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 53% male: 57% female: 48% (1979 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.) |
Location | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
Map references | Oceania | Central America and the Caribbean |
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 |
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin |
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.) |
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 74,881 GRT/100,682 DWT
by type: bulk 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, short-sea/passenger 1 foreign-owned: Greece 2, Iceland 1, Latvia 1, United States 2 (2004 est.) |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF; including the paramilitary Mobile Force or VMF) | Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $31 million (2003) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 0.4% (2003) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 764,266 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 533,768 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 27,126 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 30 July (1980) | Independence Day, first Monday in August (1962) |
Nationality | noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective: Ni-Vanuatu |
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican |
Natural hazards | tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis | hurricanes (especially July to November) |
Natural resources | manganese, hardwood forests, fish | bauxite, gypsum, limestone |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | -4.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | 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] | Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Edward SEAGA]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Hyacinth BENNETT]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) |
Population | 199,414 (July 2003 est.) | 2,713,130 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 19.7% (2002 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.61% (2003 est.) | 0.66% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo) | Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2002) | AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 272 km
standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge note: 207 of these km belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation had been in common carrier service until 1992 but are no longer operational; 57 km of the remaining track is privately owned and used by ALCAN to transport bauxite (2003) |
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% (including Jon Frum Cargo cult) | Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other including some spiritual cults 34.7% |
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: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-876; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 5,500 (1998) | 444,400 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 310 (2000) | 1.4 million (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2002) | 7 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains | mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
Total fertility rate | 2.98 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 15.9% (2003 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |