Vanuatu

Made up of an archipelago of 83 islands, The Republic of Vanuatu is located in the south of the Pacific Ocean http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ With a blend of intact tribal communities, beaches, reefs and accessible volcanoes it is a common vacation destination.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/http://www.honeymoonvanuatu.com/testimonials.html There are regular flights between New Zealand, Honiara (capital of the Solomon Islands), Australia, Noumea and Fiji to Vanuatu.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ About 60,000 holiday-makers helped support the economy in 2005, but 65% of the population is based primarily on subsistence, small-scale agriculture, fishing and offshore financial services.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ The tropical climate means the average daytime temperature is between 26C and 29C.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ The currency is the Vatu and while 120 distinct languages are spoken, the three official languages are English, French and Bislama (pidgin English).http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/

Most of Vanuatu's islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ Noted as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion featuring tropical forests, the nation has limited plant and animal species. With only 19 species of reptiles, 11 species of bat (three native to Vanuatu), and 61 species of land and water birds, there are no indigenous large mammals, poisionous snakes or spiders.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ Domesticated dogs, hogs and cattle appeared with Europeans. However, Vanuatu has a rich sea-life, with more than 4000 species of marine mollusks.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ The nation is part of the Australasia ecozone, which includes Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea and New Zealand.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/

Many of the islands of Vanuatu have been inhabited for thousands of years.http://vanuatu.travel/vanuatu/facts/ It was called New Hebrides in its colonial days, when waves of colonizers migrated to the nation in the millennia before European exploration in the 18th century.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nh.html The colonizers spoke many different languages, explaining the linguistic diversity of today.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nh.html The name Vanuatu was adopted when the nation claimed independence in 1980.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nh.html