Pacific Islands News Association

Sports News : Wallabies World cup squad named [22/08/2019 - Fiji]
Sports News : ONOC praise Tokyo 2020 as Chef de Mission Seminar concludes [22/08/2019 - Japan]
Sports News : Heat mitigation top of the agenda at Tokyo 2020 seminar [22/08/2019 - Japan]
Business News : Additional $3 million in funding to flow from the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust [22/08/2019 - Nauru]
Business News : Fiji National Provident Fund buys 20 percent EFL shares worth $220m [22/08/2019 - Fiji]
Business News : China Pacific Tourism Year Initiative gains momentum [22/08/2019 - Fiji]
News : Pacific Forum chief 'positive' on Tuvalu summit outcome [22/08/2019 - Fiji]
News : Pacific countries push for their rights as stewards of the ocean to reflected in new global BBNJ treaty [22/08/2019 - United States]
News : FSM calls for respect for sovereignty in BBNJ treaty [22/08/2019 - United States]
News : Women must come to the fore of peace and security: Samoa PM [22/08/2019 - Samoa]
News Feature : We need to challenge climate change doubters before it’s too late [22/08/2019 - United Kingdom]
Business News : Fiji Airways defends its Tuvalu fares [22/08/2019 - Fiji]
Sponsored : Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC)

Fiji

1: Yes

2: No

You need to login to participate in our polls.

Country profile - Vanuatu

Vanuatu flag

Vanuatu - a string of more than 80 islands once known as the New Hebrides - achieved independence from France and Britain in 1980.

Most of the islands are inhabited; some have active volcanoes.

Vanuatu is mountainous and much of it is covered with tropical rainforests. Like most of the area, it is prone to earthquakes and tidal waves. Most of the people live in rural areas and practice subsistence agriculture.

Vanuatu has been spared the unrest which has befallen neighbouring countries such as the Solomon Islands and Fiji, although the largest island, Espiritu Santo, experienced a brief insurrection in 1980.

Local traditions are strong. Women, for example, often have lower social standing than men and have fewer educational opportunities.

The economy has been unable to grow fast enough to meet the needs of Vanuatu's expanding population.

The main sources of revenue are agriculture and eco-tourism. Both depend on the weather, and when, as in 1999, cyclones and persistent rain hit Vanuatu, both suffer.

Tax revenue is derived from import duties, and neither personal income nor company profits are taxed.

Vanuatu tightened up its tax and regulatory systems after the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned that it could face sanctions if lax taxation regimes were exploited by criminals for money-laundering.

Australia, a key donor, has pushed for good governance and economic reform in the islands.

Additional information