The formerly widespread idea that Vanuatu might have been only marginally affected by this culture was rendered obsolete by the evidence uncovered in recent decades at numerous sites on most of the islands in the archipelago, ranging from the Banks Islands in the north to Aneityum in the south. These were almost certainly people of the Lapita culture. However, archaeological evidence gathered since the 1980s supports the theory that the Vanuatuan islands were first settled about 3,000 years ago, in the period roughly between 1,100 BC and 700 BC. The history of Vanuatu before European colonisation is mostly obscure because of the lack of written sources up to that point, and because only limited archaeological work has been conducted Vanuatu's volatile geology and climate is also likely to have destroyed or hidden many prehistoric sites. Main article: History of Vanuatu Prehistory
Together, the two words convey the independent status of the country. Vanuatu's name derives from the word vanua ("land" or "home"), which occurs in several Austronesian languages, combined with the word tu, meaning "to stand" (from POc * tuqur). Since independence, the country has become a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Pacific Islands Forum. In the 1880s, France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the archipelago, and in 1906, they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through an Anglo-French condominium.Īn independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded in 1980. Queirós claimed the archipelago for Spain, as part of the colonial Spanish East Indies, and named it La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo. The first Europeans to visit the islands were a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Fernandes de Queirós, who arrived on the largest island, Espíritu Santo, in 1606. Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is 1,750 kilometres (1,090 mi) east of northern Australia, 540 kilometres (340 mi) northeast of New Caledonia, east of New Guinea, southeast of the Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji. Vanuatu ( English: / ˌ v ɑː n u ˈ ɑː t uː/ ( listen) VAH-noo- AH-too or / v æ n ˈ w ɑː t uː/ van- WAH-too Bislama and French pronunciation ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (French: République de Vanuatu Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean.