Everything about Port Vila totally explained
Port Vila is the
capital city of
Vanuatu. It is also Vanuatu's largest city. Situated on the south coast of the island of
Efate, in
Shefa Province, the city population at last
census
(1999) was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result (1989). This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's population. Port Vila is the economic and commercial centre of
Vanuatu.
History
The area occupied by Port Vila has been inhabited by
Melanesian people for thousands of years.
In
1606, the first Europeans arrived at the island, led by
Pedro Fernández de Quirós and
Luis Váez de Torres.
In the 19th century, French settlers established the municipality of
Franceville, which declared independence in
1889 and became the first
self-governing nation to practice
universal suffrage without distinction of sex or race. Although the population at the time consisted of about 500 native islanders and less than 50 whites, only the latter were permitted to hold office. One of the elected presidents was a
U.S. citizen by birth,
R.D. Polk.
After
1887 the territory was jointly administered by the
French and the
British. This was formalized in
1906 as an Anglo-French
Condominium.
During
World War II, Port Vila was an
American and
Australian airbase.
In
1987, a
cyclone severely damaged the city. Another powerful
earthquake in January
2002 caused extensive damage in the capital and surrounding areas.
Economy
Port Vila is
Vanuatu's most important
harbour and the centre of the country's trade. The international
airport,
Bauerfield International is also located in the city.
Major industries in the city remain
agriculture and
fishing. Tourism is also becoming important, especially from
Australia and
New Zealand. There were over 50,000 visitors in 1997.
Vanuatu is a
tax haven, and offshore financing in Port Vila is an important part of the economy.
Vanuatu is still dependent on
foreign aid, most of which comes from
Australia and
New Zealand although in recent years aid has also come from the Peoples Republic of China. Examples of Aid has been the New Zealand Government paying to train doctors selected from the local community and then paying part of their wages during the first year after qualification and Australia paying the wages of consultants to work in Port Vila Central Hospital.
35.7% of exports leave from Port Vila, whereas 86.9% of imports into the country arrived in Port Vila.
Demographics
The population of Port Vila is around 38,000. The population is predominately
Melanesian, with small
Polynesian,
Asian and
European populations, namely
French and
British.
Language
In Port Vila,
Bislama is spoken by all the population as the day-to-day language. In addition,
English and
French are also widespread. Other
Indigenous languages are also spoken in the city.
Religion
Christianity is the predominant religion across all of
Vanuatu, followed by more than 90% of the population. The largest denomination is the
Presbyterian Church, followed by one third of the population.
Roman Catholicism and the
Church of Melanesia are also common, each about 15%.
Climate
Port Vila has a
tropical climate, with a
Dry season and a hot,
Wet season. Rainfall averages about 2,360 millimetres (94 in.) per year. The area also has South-East
trade winds.
Education
Port Vila is one location of the
University of the South Pacific, an educational institution co-owned by twelve
Pacific countries. The
Vanuatu campus is the only law school in the university, it also teaches language.
World Heritage
Port Vila was the location in August 1999 for the important
UNESCO meeting ”2nd World Heritage Global Strategy Meeting for the Pacific Islands Region”. One of the major topics with reference to Vanuata and the Pacific region was the question of the suitability of
underwater heritage for inscription on the
World Heritage List.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Port Vila'.
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