Dictionary Home »
Dictionary Definitions » Vanuatu
Vanuatu
(van′wä to̵̅o̅′, vän′-; van wä′to̵̅o̅, van′o̵o wä′to̵̅o̅)
country on a group of islands in the SW Pacific, west of Fiji: formerly an Anglo-French condominium, it became an independent republic in 1980; member of the Commonwealth: 4,706 sq mi (12,188 sq km); pop. 143,000; cap. Vila
See Vanuatu in American Heritage Dictionary 4
An island country of the southern Pacific Ocean east of northern Australia. Inhabited primarily by Melanesian peoples, the islands were first sighted by the Portuguese in 1606 and charted by Capt. James Cook in 1774. Under joint French and British control after 1906, New Hebrides achieved independence as Vanuatu in 1980. Port-Vila, on Efate Island, is the capital. Population: 212,000.
Related Forms:
- Vanˌuaˈtu·an adjective & n.
(click for a larger image)
Vanuatu
Learn more about Vanuatu
