THE PLACE:
Vanuatu (pronounced vah-noo-wah-too) is a Y-shaped group of 80 islands located about 500 miles west of Fiji and about 1300 miles east of Brisbane, Australia. The terrain is very mountainous and the climate is hazardous,but one might be surprised to find that Vanuatu is truly an untouched paradise (if you don't mind a few bugs enjoying it with you!) Vanuatu experiences just about every natural disaster known to man. The islands lie squarely on top of the Pacific ring of fire. There are nine active volcanoes.
The greatest health risk would be the mosquito. Though westerners have no problem getting treatment for malaria, the native people often suffer from its effects. The climate is tropical. The highs average between 79 and 90 degrees and the humidity between 70% and 83%. The dry season from May to October is warm and pleasant. In the wet season there are higher temperatures, heavy rains and cyclones. But ultimately Vanuatu is not about the geography or climate; it is about the Ni-Vanuatu people.
THE PEOPLE:
There are approximately 200,000 people living in Vanuatu, of which 98% are native Melanesians. About 36,000 people live in the largest city of Port Vila and another 8,000 live in Luganville, located in the northern island of Santo. The rest of the people live in rural villages of 200 to 400 people spread throughout the bush (jungle) area. Because of their mixed history, 55% of the people speak English and the other 45% speak French. About 90% of all children receive a primary education in one of these two languages, but very few continue past the 8th grade. In addition to English or French, almost everyone speaks Bislama (a pidgin trade language) as the common language and at least one of the 105 tribal languages.
The first missionaries arrived in the islands in the mid 1800's. The largest denomination present today is the Presbyterian Church, with smaller numbers of Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Seventh-Day Adventists.
The greatest challenge facing a missionary in Vanuatu today is syncretism. These "formal" religions have blended with animistic traditions and created a great deal of confusion.
For another link on great info on Vanuatu visit: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nh.html
Vanuatu's flag:
