Matthew Patay's
Note of the Month

 November 2006

 

Map and flag images provided by Graphic Maps

This month's featured note is from Vanuatu.
The denomination is 1,000 Vatu and the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money (SCWPM) Number is P-New. 

The note is not dated but was issued in 2005 to commemorate 25 years of independence.  This note has not yet received a published SCWMP numerical designation.

(front)

The banknote is redish-pink, green and brown on multicolored underprint.  The coat of arms of Vanuatu is at right featuring a statue of Father Walter Hadye Lini (1942-February 21, 1999).  The motto of Vanuatu is: "Long God Yumi Stanap" (In God we Stand).

 ----------

The following information was obtained from:
Wikipedia the online Encyclopedia

Father Walter Hadye Lini
(? 1942 - February 21, 1999)
 

Father Walter Hadye Lini (1942-February 21, 1999) was an Anglican priest and the founding prime minister of Vanuatu. He was born on Pentecost island. During the era when Vanuatu was a condominium ruled by the United Kingdom and France, Lini formed the Vanua'aku Pati, which was principally backed by English-speakers. He became the colony's chief minister in 1979 and ascended to the position of prime minister upon Vanuatu's independence in 1980.

The following information was obtained from:
Vanuatu Tourism Office

Vanuatu Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms has incorporated the Vanuatu Emblem, which is the pig's tusk and leaf namele in the background.

Hon. Walter Hayde Lini (is the statue) who fought for the country to become Independent and was the first Prime Minister. He declared on Independence Day to all the people that "Long God Yumi Stanap" (In God we Stand) to be Vanuatu's motto; meaning from 30th July 1980 (the Country's Independence Day) We must all stand together as a nation.

The Vanuatu Emblem

----------

(back)
Men with traditional sailing vessel are at center.

The following information was obtained from:
Wikipedia the online Encyclopedia

Vanuatu - History
(For the full article, please refer to the link above.)

Many of the islands of Vanuatu have been inhabited for thousands of years, the oldest archaeological evidence found dating to 1300 BC.

In 1606, the Spanish expedition led by explorers Luis Váez de Torres and Pedro Fernández de Quirós became the first Europeans to reach the islands, believing it to be part of Terra Australis. Europeans began settling the islands in the late 18th century, after British explorer James Cook visited the islands on his second voyage, and gave them the name New Hebrides. In 1887, the islands began to be administered by a French-British naval commission. In 1906, the French and British agreed to an Anglo-French Condominium on the New Hebrides. Vanuatu suffered from the practice of blackbirding, wherein half of the adult male population of some of the islands became indentured workers in Australia.

Because of introduced diseases, the population fell greatly, to 45,000 in 1935.

During World War II, the islands of Éfaté and Espiritu Santo were used as allied military bases. In the 1960s, the ni-Vanuatu people started to press for self-governance and later independence; full sovereignty was finally granted by both European nations on July 30, 1980. It joined the UN in 1981, and the Non-Aligned Movement in 1983. During the 1990s, Vanuatu experienced political instability, which eventually resulted in a more decentralised government. The Vanuatu Mobile Force, a paramilitary group, attempted a coup in 1996, because of a pay dispute. There were allegations of corruption in the government of Maxime Carlot Korman. New elections were called several times since 1997, most recently in 2004.

The following information was obtained from:
Wikipedia the online Encyclopedia

Vanuatu - Economy
(For the full article, please refer to the link above.)
 

The economy is based primarily on subsistence or small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism (with about 50,000 visitors in 1997), 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 and a 12.5 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. A severe earthquake in November 1999, followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote, leaving thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the capital, Port-Vila, and surrounding areas, and also was followed by a tsunami.

GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial centre. In mid-2002, the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of Vanuatu's foreign aid. Vanuatu is a tax haven that does not release account information to other governments and law enforcement agencies. Pressure is however being brought to bear on the Vanuatu Government to adhere to International norms to improve transparency in this respect. In Vanuatu, there is no income tax, no withholding tax, no capital gains tax, no inheritance taxes, and no exchange controls. Companies like Kazaa and WinMX have chosen to incorporate in Vanuatu to avoid regulation and legal challenges.

Vanuatu was considered the happiest State on earth by the New Economics Foundation's Happy Planet Index (HPI), which lists countries according to their ecological footprint, life expectancy and global life satisfaction.

----------

For more information about Vanuatu visit:

TThe CIA World Factbook

----------

return to main page

----------

Previous Note of the Month Pages:

return to main page