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30-507: Vanuu is located on Pentecost's main north-south road, about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Lonorore Airport and about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Melsisi . Vanuu has a Churches of Christ church, a nakamal , small stores, and a guesthouse. Children from Vanuu attend the Anglophone primary school at Ranmawot, 2 km away. Ranwadi High School is also nearby. The large waterfall and associated natural swimming pool behind

60-466: A burial site of 25 tombs containing three dozen skeletons of members of the Lapita culture. Pieces of ceramics found at 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

90-454: A source of income. The language and culture of the Vanuu area were historically intermediate between those of Central Pentecost and of South Pentecost, although the influence of the former predominates today. The area's original language was Sowa , but depopulation in the 20th century led to the extinction of this language. Today Apma (the original language of Central Pentecost to the north)

120-621: Is 8.5 °C or 47.3 °F. Humidity is often high. Port Vila 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

150-502: 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 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

180-660: 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

210-601: 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

240-664: 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

270-419: 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

300-416: 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

330-521: Is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu . It 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 ,

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360-618: Is the village's main language, though village chief Isaiah Tabi Vahka is at the forefront of efforts to document and revive Sowa. The national language Bislama is also spoken, and the village is home to a number of Ske speakers due to intermarriage with the Baravet community to the south. English is also spoken by educated villagers. This Vanuatu location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lonorore Airport Lonorore Airport ( IATA : LNE , ICAO : NVSO ) or Lonoror (possibly from Ske lon or or "in

390-655: The New Hebrides , the British were initially the dominant European presence, though by the 1890s, the economic balance had begun to favour 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

420-773: 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

450-533: 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

480-467: The area is Efil in the native South Efate language and Ifira in neighbouring Mele-Fila language . Vila 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

510-595: 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

540-413: The ceremony. The flat coastal strip on which Vanuu is built was historically uninhabited and covered with dense cottonwood ( burao ) trees. The area suffered drastic depopulation in the late 19th and early 20th century following the introduction of European diseases. The present village was founded in the early-mid 20th century by men from other areas of Pentecost, who established a coconut plantation for

570-424: The east of Port Vila. Port Vila has a tropical climate , more specifically a tropical rainforest climate , with noticeably wetter and drier months. As 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

600-473: The fences") is an airport on south-western Pentecost Island , Vanuatu , 3 km south of Baravet village. Lonorore began as a grass airstrip, capable of accommodating 20-seater Twin Otter aircraft in good conditions, although it was frequently unusable due to waterlogging in wet weather. The airport is in the middle of an old coconut plantation, and was first built as a private airstrip in colonial times by

630-592: The first woman to hold the position, elected in August 2024. Her deputy 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

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660-417: The following year. It was the first self-governing nation to practice universal suffrage without distinction of sex or race. Although 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,

690-584: 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

720-504: The other being Sara in the north. Lonorore is a long distance from Sara by road, but is occasionally used as an alternative airport by passengers from northern Pentecost when Sara is closed due to adverse weather or volcanic ashfall, as Sara is more vulnerable to these disruptions than Lonorore. [REDACTED] Media related to Lonorore Airport at Wikimedia Commons Port Vila Port Vila ( / ˈ v iː l ə / ; French : Port-Vila ), or simply Vila ( [viˈla] ),

750-543: The plantation owner. The airport was upgraded in 2008–2009 with a longer, tarmacked runway capable of operating in most weather conditions and being used by larger ATR aircraft, though in practice the airport is still serviced only by Twin Otters, together with Islanders and small charter planes. Lonorore is used for Air Vanuatu domestic flights to Port Vila and Santo , sometimes via Ambae . Schedules change regularly but there are typically flights on two or three days of

780-442: The production of copra (though this is no longer productive today). Many of their grandchildren (Vanuu's present inhabitants) retain ties to their ancestral villages. Most villagers maintain gardens in the mountains above Vanuu, growing vegetables such as taro for local consumption and earning income from cash crops such as kava . Fees paid by visitors to the waterfall, and earnings from other tourist-related activities, are also

810-415: 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

840-695: 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 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

870-435: The village, and the presence of good anchorage for yachts, make Vanuu a popular destination for visitors to Pentecost Island. The waterfall behind Vanuu is one of seven major falls along the river; the others are located high in the bush. There is also a limestone cave nearby. Although Vanuu is not located within the area in which land diving is practised, it is sometimes used as a base by tourists who visit Pentecost to witness

900-401: The week. Between April and June the airport caters for significant numbers of day trippers from Port Vila who come to watch the weekly land-diving ceremonies. Near the airport is a small post office (currently defunct) and an aid post. On flight days, women often set up markets near the airport, selling homegrown vegetables and homecooked food. Lonorore is one of two airports on Pentecost,

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