Vanuatu

The Republic of Vanuatu is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is located some 1,750 km east of Australia, 500 km north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji and south of the Solomon Islands.

History

Main article: History of Vanuatu

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Many of the islands of Vanuatu have been inhabited for thousands of years, the oldest evidence found dating to 2000 BC. In 1606, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós became the first European to reach the islands. Europeans began settling the islands in the late 18th century, after British explorer James Cook visited the islands on his second voyage.

Related Topics:
Island - 2000 BC - 1606 - Portuguese - Explorer - Pedro Fernández de Quirós - Europe - Settling - 18th century - British - James Cook

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In 1906, the French and British agreed to an Anglo-French Condominium on the New Hebrides, as the islands were then known. In the 1960s, the ni-Vanuatu people started to press for self-governance and later independence; full sovereignty was finally granted by both European nations on July 30, 1980.

Related Topics:
1906 - French - British - Anglo-French Condominium - New Hebrides - 1960s - Self-governance - Independence - Sovereignty - July 30 - 1980

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During the 1990s, Vanuatu experienced political instability, which eventually resulted in a more decentralised government.

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