NEW HEBRIDES

NEW HEBRIDES / NOUVELLES-HÉBRIDES CONDOMINIUM.

Definitive stamps.
Port Vila and Iririki Island.
Third stamp in a set of 11, issued on 03.09.1957 (issue in French language).
Face value: 15 New Hebrides goldcentimes.
Printing: Recess.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 185.
- Scott No. 100 (French issue).
- StampWorld No. 185.

- Stanley Gibbons No. 98 (French issue).

- Yvert et Tellier No. 177.

Port Vila is the capital and the most populous city of Vanuatu (44,039 inhabitants according to the 2009 census). Located on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, it is the economic and commercial center of the country, and its port and airport are the most important in Vanuatu. The area occupied by Port Vila has been inhabited by Melanesian people for thousands of years. An archaeological expedition discovered in 2004 a burial site of 25 tombs containing three dozen skeletons of members of the Lapita culture; Pieces of ceramics found at the site were dated to the 13th century BC. The first Europeans to land on the site, in May 1606, were Portuguese explorers led by Pedro Fernandes de Queirós and Luís Vaz de Torres. At the end of the 19th century, French citizen Ferdinand Chevillard purchased land around present-day Port Vila to turn it into the largest French plantation on the island. Thus was born the municipality of Franceville, which declared independence on August 9, 1889. From 1887, the territory of the New Hebrides was administered jointly by the French and the British, and in 1906 it was formalized as an Anglo-French condominium, which it was maintained until the independence of Vanuatu (July 30, 1980).

Iririki Island (0.18 km² or 0.07 sq mi) is located in Mele Bay, opposite Port Vila. Since 2004 it has been privately owned by an Australian businessman, who since 2018 has managed a resort and a casino.

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Aneityum and Futuna islands map.
Twelfth stamp in a set of 13, issued on 30.07.1980 (issue in English language).
Face value: 200 New Hebrides francs.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 572.
- Scott No. 291.
- StampWorld No. 12.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 298E.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 607.

Aneityum (also known as Anatom or Keamu) is the southernmost island of Vanuatu archipelago. It is a volcanic island and is surrounded by coral reefs and beaches. Its surface area is 159.2 km² (61.5 sq mi) and its dimensions are, from north to south, 12.3 km (7.63 mi) and from east to west, 16.9 km (10.50 mi). Its highest points are the mounts Inrerow Atamein, of 852 m (2,795 ft) and Nanawarez, of 804 m (2,638 ft): theoretically they are extinct volcanoes, but they erupted in the early 1990s and destroyed much of the center of the island. Its southeastern cape, Nétchan Néganneaing, is the southernmost point of land in Vanuatu. It has an airport, not on the main island itself, but on the small neighbor of Inyeug. In 2009, its population was just over 900 inhabitants. It is estimated that when James Cook discovered the island in 1774, its population was about 12,000; a census made by missionaries in 1858 gave the figure of 3,600 people, but in 1861 the population was decimated by a measles epidemic; later, other diseases and several devastating cyclones reduced it to just over 180. From 1825 Aneityum was exploited by French traders.

Futuna (or West Futuna, to distinguish it from another island of the same name in French Polynesia) is the easternmost island of Vanuatu and is located in the Coral Sea, although its east coast borders the Pacific Ocean. It was formed by the rise of an underwater volcano more than 11,000 years ago, now inactive, which rises up to 643 m (1,110 ft). The island's surface area is just 13 km² (5 sq mi), and its population, in 2009, was 526.

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Landscapes. Champagne Beach.
Eighth stamp in a set of 16, issued on 07.07.1993.
Face value: 50 vatu.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 39 x 25 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 926.
- Scott No. 602.
- StampWorld No. 366.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 635.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 922.

Champagne Beach, in a small cove to the northeast of the island of Espiritu Santo, is one of the most popular in Vanuatu and is among the busiest places for tourism, especially Australian. It is famous for its crystal clear waters and fine white sand, which make it one of the best beaches in the South Pacific. The coral reefs in the vicinity attract many divers. It is very close to Hog Harbour, which was the seat of the British administration during the time of the Franco-British condominium of the New Hebrides.

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Tanna and Aniwa Islands map, and Yasur volcano.
Eighth stamp in a set of 15, issued on 30.07.1980 (issue in French language).
Face value: 40 New Hebrides francs.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 581.
- Scott No. 287a.
- StampWorld No. 21.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 294F.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 590.

Tanna Island is 40 km (25 mi) long and 19 km (11.8 mi) wide, with a total area of ​​ 550 km² (210 sq mi). Its population is about 30,000 inhabitants, which makes it one of the most populated islands in Vanuatu. The administrative capital of the island is Isangel, on the western coast. Its maximum height is Mount Tukosmera of 1,084 m (3,556 ft). Mount Yasur, an active volcano 361 m (1,184 ft) high, is located on the southeast coast. James Cook was the first European to visit the island, inhabited by Melanesians, in August 1774, attracted by the luminosity of the volcano. In the 19th century, merchants and missionaries (mainly Presbyterians) and some whaling ships arrived. There is an airport to the northwest of the island.

Aniwa is a small 8 km² (3 sq mi) coral atoll that rises just 42 m (138 ft) above sea level, located about 24 km (15 mi) northeast of Tanna Island. To the northwest is the Itcharo (Tiaro) lagoon, open to the sea. It also has a small airport. Its population is about 350 inhabitants. Its first settlers came from Samoa, and were not Melanesians as in other islands of Vanuatu.

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Landscapes. Mele Waterfall.
Fourteenth stamp in a set of 16, issued on 07.07.1993.
Face value: 100 vatu.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 932.
- Scott No. 608.
- StampWorld No. 372.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 641.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 928.

In the town of Mele, about 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, on the island of Éfaté, is a set of waterfalls, the highest of which is 35 m (115 ft).

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Espiritu Santo island.
Third stamp in a set of 15, issued on 30.07.1980 (issue in French language).
Face value: 15 New Hebrides francs.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 576.
- Scott No. 282a.
- StampWorld No. 16.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 289F.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 585.

Espiritu Santo, commonly known as Santo, is the largest island in Vanuatu. Its area is 3,955.5 km² (1,527.2 sq mi). The highest peak on the island, and Vanuatu, is Mount Tabwemasana at 1,879 m (6,165 ft). The first Europeans to set foot on the island were the members of a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, who landed in 1606 and named it Austrialia del Espíritu Santo. It was not visited again by Europeans until Louis de Bougainville arrived there in 1768 and James Cook in 1774. Between May and August 1980, the island was the scene of a rebellion during the transfer of power from the colonial condiminium of New Hebrides to the new state of Vanuatu, and was proclaimed independent as the Republic of Vemerana by the Negriamel Movement. After independence, Vanuatu requested the help of Papua New Guinea, whose army invaded and conquered Espiritu Santo, which was integrated into Vanuatu.

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Map of Erromango island (native name: Nelocompne).
First stamp in a set of 13, issued on 30.07.1980 (issue in French language).
Face value: 5 New Hebrides francs.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 574.
- Scott No. 280a.
- StampWorld No. 14.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 287F.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 583.

Erromango, Nelocompne in the native language, covers an area of 891.9 km² (344.4 sq mi). Is the fourth largest island in the Vanuatu archipelago. The island, in the Coral Sea, is an ancient underwater volcano that rose above sea level due to tectonic movements. It was colonized by the Lapita people from Southeast Asia about 3,000 years ago. James Cook was the first European to set foot on the island on August 4, 1774, and from 1804 whalers were regular visitors. The discovery of large sandalwood reserves attracted many outsiders, and during the 19th century this sparked conflict between indigenous people and traders. The missionaries had great difficulty establishing themselves on the island. Before Vanuatu's independence (July 30, 1980) Erromango was part of the Franco-British condominium of the New Hebrides.

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Independence.
Map of the archipelago in English and French versions.
Second stamp of the first sets (in Eglish and French) of the new Republic. Issued on 30.07.1980.
Face value: 10 New Hebrides francs.
Printing: Offset lithography.

Catalogues
- Michel Nos. 562 and (?)
- Scott Nos. 281 and 281a.
- StampWorld Nos. 2 and 15.
- Stanley Gibbons Nos. 288E and 288F. (?)
- Yvert et Tellier Nos. 597 and 584. 

Vanuatu agreed to full independence from the Franco-British condominium of the New Hebrides on July 30, 1980, with Walter Liñi as Prime Minister. The Republic of Vanuatu joined the United Nations in 1981, and the Non-Aligned Movement in 1983. The country's capital is Port Vila, on the island of Vaté (Efate).

VANUATU

VANUATU.

Independence day (first anniversary of independence).
Map of the archipielago of Vanuatu.
First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 30.07.1981.
Face value: 15 Vanuatuan vatu.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 609.
- Scott No. 311.
- StampWorld No. 49.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 318.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 631.