Vanuatu: History

1865 European settlers, mostly French and British, begin to arrive on the islands, looking to establish cotton plantations. When global cotton prices collapse, the settlers switch to coffee, cocoa, bananas, and, most successfully, coconuts.

1906 France and the United Kingdom agree to administer the islands jointly, in what is called the British-French Condominium. Each country sets up its own government that has dominion only over its own citizens. Each country jointly manages the natives.

1980 The New Hebrides achieve independence from Britain and France. The new country is named Vanuatu and Father Walter Lini becomes the first prime minister.

2003 Vanuatu is taken off the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) list of countries that are uncooperative tax havens.

2010

The Asian Development Bank states that Vanuatu is one of the fastest growing economies in the Pacific, after an unprecedented seventh consecutive year of growth.