Capital city: Port Vila
Languages: local languages (more than 100)
Population: Above 246,000
Area: 12,190 Sq km
GDP per capita: 3,094 in 2011
GDP current US$: 1 in 2011
Ease of Business Ranking: 80 in 2013
French influence is strong in Vanuatu, which won independence from Britain and France in 1980. As you arrive at the airport, there are signs in English and French, as in Quebec. As you go towards the central bank, you go past Avenue Charles de Gaulle which leads into Winston Churchill Street.
Property prices have been steadily increasing over the years. The buoyancy in the market has been retained for several reasons: Hong Kong Chinese moving offshore before pre-1997; Australians pulling out of Papua New Guinea; and the perception by investors that the Vanuatu Government genuinely wishes to attract foreign investment, particularly in tourism.
No land in Vanuatu is freehold. Leases up to 50 years for residential lots (75 for commercial ones) are available. There are no restrictions on foreign ownership of property, other than land.