Vanuatu
Former New Hebrides
Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific, an archipelago of about eighty islands east of Australia and northeast of New Caledonia.
Formerly the New Hebrides under joint British-French administration, it gained independence in 1980.
The name means "our land" in several local languages.
We island-hopped through Vanuatu for two weeks.
Chain of scattered islands
- PentecostSpirit's arrival celebration
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- lagoonSheltered coastal shallows
- reefUnderwater rock or coral formation
Pacific · Oceania · South Pacific · Melanesia · tropical · remote · coastline · rainforest
Sedative Pacific Island drink
- copraDried coconut meat
- coconutHard-shelled tropical drupe
- cocoaGround cacao seed powder
- tourismLeisure travel sector
cruise ships · yachting · beef · timber · fishing · subsistence farming · handicrafts · offshore banking
Range of life forms
- dugongHerbivorous marine mammal
- coconut crabTree-scaling tropical decapod
- flying foxLarge fruit-eating bat
- sea turtlesOcean-dwelling shelled reptiles
coral reef · marine reserve · endemic species · tropical birds · banyan · cyclones · rainforest · conservation
Freedom from external control
- republicState with elected leaders
- CommonwealthAssociation of sovereign states
- parliamentNational legislative assembly
- EnglishBritain's native tongue
French · condominium · colonial · Anglo-French · self-governance · constitution · flag · coat of arms
Violent sudden release
- lavaErupted liquid stone
- ashCombustion's powdery remains
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
- geothermalRelating to underground heat
crater · sulfur · fumarole · magma · seismic · tectonic · pumice · hot springs
Improvised contact language
- AustronesianPacific-spanning language family
- multilingualKnowing multiple languages
- lingua francaShared tongue between peoples
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
Image traced in grains
- tam-tamsFlat metal percussion discs
- shell moneyMollusk-based medium of exchange
- ancestral worshipReligious honoring of forebears
- chiefdomsTerritories governed by chiefs
tabu · storytelling · woven mats · wood carving · cargo cults
archipelago
Chain of scattered islands
reef · Pacific · Oceania · South Pacific · Melanesia · tropical · remote · coastline · rainforest · highlands
kava
Sedative Pacific Island drink
tourism · cruise ships · yachting · beef · timber · fishing · subsistence farming · handicrafts · offshore banking · sandalwood
biodiversity
Range of life forms
- dugongHerbivorous marine mammal
- coconut crabTree-scaling tropical decapod
- flying foxLarge fruit-eating bat
sea turtles · coral reef · marine reserve · endemic species · tropical birds · banyan · cyclones · rainforest · conservation · snorkeling
independence
Freedom from external control
- republicState with elected leaders
- CommonwealthAssociation of sovereign states
- parliamentNational legislative assembly
English · French · condominium · colonial · Anglo-French · self-governance · constitution · flag · coat of arms · national anthem
eruption
Violent sudden release
geothermal · crater · sulfur · fumarole · magma · seismic · tectonic · pumice · hot springs · volcanic soil
pidgin
Improvised contact language
- AustronesianPacific-spanning language family
- multilingualKnowing multiple languages
- lingua francaShared tongue between peoples
sand drawing
Image traced in grains
- tam-tamsFlat metal percussion discs
- shell moneyMollusk-based medium of exchange
- ancestral worshipReligious honoring of forebears
chiefdoms · tabu · storytelling · woven mats · wood carving · cargo cults
- islandsisland, isle, isles, islet, islets
- NationsChina, France, Japan, Germany, Mexico
- OceaniaFiji, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga
- PacificPacific Ocean, Pacific Rim, Pacific Ring of Fire, Ring of Fire, Oceania
- Pacific OceanMariana Trench, Hawaiian Islands, Challenger Deep, Coral Sea, Bering Sea
- Island GetawaysMaldives, Fiji, Bali, Hawaii, Tahiti
VanuatuChina
East Asian superpower
United States · Russia · India · Brazil · Indonesia
VanuatuSamoa
South Pacific island nation
Tonga · Hawaii · Tahiti · French Polynesia · New Zealand
VanuatuMongolia
Central Asian landlocked nation
Kazakhstan · Switzerland · Uzbekistan · Chad · landlocked countries