VGP 3, other and independent 16;
note - political party associations are fluid
note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture
and language

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after
consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the
opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on
the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)

Political parties and leaders:
Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or
MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Hem LINI]; Union of
Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land
Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Greens Party or VGP [Moana
CARCASSES]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,
SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have
a Permanent Mission to the UN

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua
New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black
isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a
black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two
points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle);
centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed
namele leaves, all in yellow

Economy Vanuatu

Economy - overview:
This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale
agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population.
Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with more than
60,000 visitors in 2005, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral
deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum
deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market.
Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is
hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports,
vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main
markets and between