"The country that has always existed" is a translation of Vanuatu. In the past it was known as "New Hebrides". Captain Cook gave this name to the group of islands when he explored them and mapped them out in 1794. In 1980, Vanuatu declared her independence after 74 years of joint governance by Great Britain and France. Beside the official language - Bislama, the local pidgin -, most of the 160,000 inhabitants also speak French and English.

Vanuatu consists of about 80 mountainous islands covered with thick forest. The archipelago spreads out across 725 kilometres.