28-614: The Vanuatu Daily Post is a newspaper published in Port Vila in Vanuatu . It is the only daily newspaper in Vanuatu. The newspaper's founder, Marc Neil-Jones , had been the victim of physical attacks supported by government ministers during his time at the newspaper. Dan McGarry, the newspaper's media director and a Canadian national, announced on 7 November 2019 that the Vanuatu government had refused to renew his work permit. McGarry stated that
56-612: A functional government led to rising discontent among the colonists. The French were especially inconvenienced because French law only recognized marriages when contracted under a civil authority (the nearest one being in New Caledonia ), whereas British law recognized marriages conducted by local clergy. On 9 August 1889, Franceville declared itself an independent commune under the leadership of elected mayor / president Ferdinand-Albert Chevillard , and with its own red, white and blue flag with five stars. This community became one of
84-613: Is Marie Louise Milne, of the Green Confederation . On 13 March 2015, Port Vila suffered extensive damage from Cyclone Pam . Locally the town is most commonly referred to simply as "Vila", whether in French or Bislama [viˈla] or in English / ˈ v iː l ə / VEE -lə (not like English "villa"). The name of the area is Efil in the native South Efate language and Ifira in neighbouring Mele-Fila language . Vila
112-539: Is Vanuatu's most important harbour and the center of the country's trade. The international airport, Bauerfield International ( VLI ) is also located in the city. Air Vanuatu has its head office in Vanuatu House in Port Vila. Major industries in the city remain agriculture and fishing. Tourism is also becoming important, especially from Australia and New Zealand . There were over 80,000 visitors in 1997. Vanuatu
140-649: 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 China . One example was New Zealand paying to train doctors selected from the local community, then paying part of their wages during the first year after qualification. Australia has paid consultants to work in Port Vila Central Hospital . 35.7% of exports leave from Port Vila and 86.9% of imports arrive in Port Vila. The population
168-590: Is a modern Roman Catholic cathedral in Port Vila. The seat of the Diocese of Port Vila, the church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus . On October 5, 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints announced plans to construct a temple in the city, and the Baháʼí Faith community is also established in Port Vila. The capital of Vanuatu has various sights to offer. There are several memorials, e.g. opposite
196-521: Is a variant of these names. Ifira is a small island in Vila harbour where many of the area's traditional landowners reside. The area occupied by Port Vila has been inhabited by Melanesian people for thousands of years. In Autumn of 2004, an archaeological expedition known as Teouma discovered a burial site of 25 tombs containing three dozen skeletons of members of the Lapita culture. Pieces of ceramics found at
224-633: Is an oblong and sightworthy building on a hill in the city centre. The Vanuatu Cultural Centre, hosting the Vanuatu National Museum , is located at the Saralana Park in front of the national parliament, close to the National Library and the Malvatumauri (Vanuatu National Council of Chiefs). This institution is an important place for the preservation and promotion of the different aspects of
252-419: Is around 45,000; predominately Melanesian , with small Polynesian , Asian, Australian and European populations, mainly French and British. Port Vila is home to many languages, reflecting the country's high linguistic diversity . The day-to-day lingua franca in the capital city is Bislama . In addition, English and French are also widespread. Among Vanuatu's 100 indigenous languages , many are spoken in
280-416: Is divided into four wards and administered by a council consisting of 14 members. The four wards are: Malapoa-Tagabe and South are allotted three representatives each to the council while Anabrou-Melcofe-Tassiriki and Centre have four. The municipality handles primary education, primary health care, regional planning, road maintenance and construction, trash collection, cemeteries, parks and open spaces and
308-581: Is located on the island of Efate . The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census . In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the country's population. On the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province , Port Vila is the economic and commercial centre of Vanuatu. The mayor is Jenny Regenvanu of the Land and Justice Party , the first woman to hold the position, elected in August 2024. Her deputy
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#1732863218863336-410: Is one of the eighteen constituencies in Vanuatu, and elects six Members of Parliament . Following the 2016 general election , its representatives are: Port Vila is twinned with: Franceville, New Hebrides Franceville (present-day Port Vila ) was a municipality located on Efate , or Sandwich Island. It was established in 1889 in order to gain basic legal status, during the period when
364-763: The New Hebrides was a neutral territory under the loose jurisdiction of the Anglo-French Joint Naval Commission . In 1878, the United Kingdom and France declared all of the New Hebrides to be neutral territory. For the protection of the French and British citizens in New Hebrides, a joint naval commission was established under the Convention of 16 October 1887. However, the convention claimed no jurisdiction over internal native affairs. The lack of
392-601: The 'overt reason' was that his role should have been 'localized' (filled by a Vanuatu citizen) but claimed that the 'real reason' was that the Daily Post's reporting had discomforted the government. He has appealed against the decision. On 6 July 2019, the Daily Post published an article detailing the deportation of six Chinese nationals by the Vanuatuan government. Four of the six nationals had been granted Vanuatuan citizenship under
420-487: The French, who established large plantations. French citizen Ferdinand Chevillard began buying and clearing land around Port Vila to be converted into the largest French plantation on the island. Instead, it was converted into the municipality of Franceville , which declared independence on 9 August 1889, though this only lasted until June of the following year. It was the first self-governing nation to practice universal suffrage without distinction of sex or race. Although
448-746: The Pacific region was the question of the suitability of underwater heritage for inscription on the World Heritage List . 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, and it also teaches languages. Upper secondary (sixth form/senior high school) institutions include: Junior secondary (seventh form to tenth form) institutions include: The municipality of Port Vila
476-519: The Parliament where two traditional totem poles and a monument representing a pig's tusk can be seen. The Presbyterian Church of Port Vila is an impressive and sightworthy building opposite the Independence Park . A colourful wall painting can be seen on the administration building opposite the market hall. Another noteworthy wall painting is on the façade of the post office. The City Hall of Port Vila
504-527: The capital, as people from rural areas come to live in the city, either temporarily or permanently. Christianity is the predominant religion across Vanuatu, followed by more than 90% of the population. The largest denomination is the Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu , followed by one third of the population. Roman Catholicism and the Church of Melanesia are also common, each about 15%. Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur
532-576: The country's Development Support Programme. McGarry said he was 'quite confident' it was coverage of that story which had upset the government. McGarry, who has lived in Vanuatu for 16 years and whose spouse and children are from the country, stated that in July 2019, the Prime Minister Charlot Salwai berated him for what Salwai said was his 'negative' reporting and said 'If you don't like it here, go home'. Vanuatu's Media Association called on
560-404: The first self-governing nations in recorded history to practice universal suffrage without distinction of sex or race. Although the district's population at the time consisted of about 500 natives and fewer than 50 whites, only white males were permitted to hold office. One of its elected presidents was R. D. Polk , a native of Tennessee and relative of James K. Polk . The new government
588-446: The government to reconsider and afford the correct legal rights to McGarry. This Vanuatu -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Oceanian newspaper-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Port Vila Port Vila ( / ˈ v iː l ə / ; French : Port-Vila ), or simply Vila ( [viˈla] ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu . It
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#1732863218863616-562: The local culture. Traditional artifacts from several islands are on display in the museum. The centre host also the National Audiovisual Archives which is the most important fund of documents from the late 19th century until today. Port Vila was the location in August 1999 for the "2nd World Heritage Global Strategy Meeting for the Pacific Islands Region" held by UNESCO . One of the major topics related to Vanuatu and
644-542: The population at the time consisted of about 500 native islanders and fewer than fifty whites, only the latter were permitted to hold office. One of the elected presidents was a US citizen by birth, R. D. Polk, a relative of American president James K. 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
672-415: The promotion of tourism. There are also informal settlements such as Blacksands which are effectively suburbs of Vila but are outside the municipality. Living conditions in some of these neighbourhoods are very poor, and lack of service provision and insecure land tenure are major problems. Blacksands was squatted in the 1960s. The most recent municipal council election was held in 2022 . Port Vila
700-482: The site were dated to the 13th century BC. Efate Island was charted in 1774 by James Cook , who named it Sandwich Island. Cook's expedition did not land but noted the presence of good harbours and land suitable for European settlement. In late 19th century when the islands were known as the New Hebrides , the British were initially the dominant European presence, though by the 1890s, the economic balance had begun to favour
728-422: The trade winds are almost permanent and cyclones are not rare in Port Vila, the climate is not equatorial but maritime trade-wind tropical climate. Rainfall averages about 2,338.9 millimetres or 92.08 inches per year, and the wettest month is March. The driest month is September. There are 153 wet days in an average year. The area also has south-east trade winds . Temperatures do not vary very much at all throughout
756-418: The year, and the record high is 35.6 °C or 96.1 °F. The coolest month, July, has an average high of 27 °C or 80.6 °F, and an average low of 18 °C or 64.4 °F. The hottest month, February, has an average high of 31.2 °C or 88.2 °F and an average low of 23 °C or 73.4 °F. The record low for Port Vila is 8.5 °C or 47.3 °F. Humidity is often high. Port Vila
784-567: Was an American and Australian airbase. In 1987, Cyclone Uma severely damaged the city. A powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused minor damage in the capital and surrounding areas. The city suffered massive damage from a category 5 cyclone named Cyclone Pam in March 2015, whose eye wall passed just to the east of Port Vila. Port Vila has a tropical climate , more specifically a tropical rainforest climate , with noticeably wetter and drier months. As
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