India announces $500,000 for quake-hit Vanuatu

• India announced an assistance of $500,000 to the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu to help it deal with destruction caused by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake last month.

• The earthquake struck near Vanuatu’s coast in the South Pacific Ocean on December 17 causing major destruction and loss of lives.

• An important pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019, is disaster risk reduction and management.

• India is committed to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and continues to be a responsible and steadfast responder in the region.

Key facts about 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. 

• Before its independence in 1980, Vanuatu was jointly administered by France and the U.K. known as the New Hebrides for 74 years.

• On July 30, 1980, Vanuatu gained independence from the United Kingdom and France.

• The capital is Port Vila on the island of Efate.

• Vanuatu is a culturally and linguistically diverse nation of 83 volcanic and coral islands in the South Pacific.

• Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin, and have a tropical or sub-tropical climate. 

• The nation’s largest towns are the capital Port Vila, which is situated on Efate, and Luganville, on Espiritu Santo. 

• The highest point in Vanuatu is Mount Tabwemasana, at 1879 m (6158 ft), on the island of Espiritu Santo. 

• There are several active volcanoes in Vanuatu, including Yasur on the island of Tanna, one of the world’s most accessible volcanoes, as well as several underwater ones.

• Around 80 per cent of Vanuatu’s population of 326,740 live in rural areas. Vanuatu has one of the highest population growth rates in the region.

• Vanuatu is a lower-middle-income country. It was ranked in the medium human development category, at  140 of 193 assessed in the 2024 Human Development Report. Almost 67 per cent of employment is in the informal sector with youth unemployment at 9.7 per cent.

• Vanuatu is the world’s most vulnerable country to climate and natural hazard risk, according to the World Risk Index, based on its high exposure to natural hazards and low coping and adaptive capacities. Natural hazards confronted by Vanuatu include cyclones, volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, and sea level rise. 

• An IMF study estimates that Vanuatu has a 56.8 per cent chance of suffering a disaster related to natural hazards each year, causing a mean annual damage of 42.8 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, and affecting 12 per cent of the population.

• Vanuatu has a total of three official languages — Bislama, English and French. 

• The Parliament of Vanuatu is unicameral and has 52 members who are elected by popular vote every four years.

• The President has primarily ceremonial powers and is elected for five-year terms by a two-thirds majority of an electoral college. This electoral college consists of Members of Parliament and the Presidents of Regional Councils.

• The Prime Minister, who is the head of government, is elected by a majority vote of a three-fourths quorum of the Parliament.

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