Oceania · The modern island states
Vanuatu
from 1980
Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) became independent on 30 July 1980, with Father Walter Lini, an Anglican priest and leader of the Vanua'aku Pati, as founding prime minister. A parliamentary republic with English, French, and Bislama as official languages, it suffers chronic political instability: voters typically elect a dozen or more parties, and no-confidence votes and coalition churn are frequent (13 men have served as PM, some multiple times).
- Existed
- from 1980
- Shown on the map
- 1983–2024
- Peak area
- 17k km²
- Region
- Oceania
Overview
Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) became independent on 30 July 1980, with Father Walter Lini, an Anglican priest and leader of the Vanua'aku Pati, as founding prime minister. A parliamentary republic with English, French, and Bislama as official languages, it suffers chronic political instability: voters typically elect a dozen or more parties, and no-confidence votes and coalition churn are frequent (13 men have served as PM, some multiple times).
Later history and present status
On 17 December 2024, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck near the capital Port Vila, killing 14, injuring 265, and causing an estimated US$231.7 million in damage, devastating the central business district and two major water reservoirs. A snap election was held on 16 January 2025; Jotham Napat — a former meteorologist and leader of the Leaders Party of Vanuatu — was elected prime minister on 11 February 2025, heading a five-party coalition and becoming the fifth person to lead Vanuatu since 2022. He pledged political reform to improve stability. The president is Nikenike Vurobaravu (since July 2022). Vanuatu's politics remain fluid, though Napat's coalition has held into 2026.
Common questions
- What was Vanuatu?
- Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) became independent on 30 July 1980, with Father Walter Lini, an Anglican priest and leader of the Vanua'aku Pati, as founding prime minister. A parliamentary republic with English, French, and Bislama as official languages, it suffers chronic political instability: voters typically elect a dozen or more parties, and no-confidence votes and coalition churn are frequent (13 men have served as PM, some multiple times).
- When did Vanuatu exist?
- Vanuatu existed from 1980. On this map it is drawn 1983–2024.
- How large was Vanuatu?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Vanuatu covered about 17,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- What is the present status of Vanuatu?
- On 17 December 2024, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck near the capital Port Vila, killing 14, injuring 265, and causing an estimated US$231.7 million in damage, devastating the central business district and two major water reservoirs.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia article for each polity and its key rulers as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia, museum and UN sources, Pacific news organisations, and the scholarship of Ricklefs, Andaya, Coedès, Carey, Sri Margana and Smith & Smith. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Vanuatu en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanuatu
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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