Timeline of Vanuatu

Chronology

10 events spanning the history of Vanuatu. BCE/CE dating.

1. 1605

   Islands visited by Spanish navigator Pedro Ferdinand de Quiros.

   Islands visited by Spanish navigator Pedro Ferdinand de Quiros.

2. 1768

   Louis Antoine de Bougainville names the islands Les Grandes Cyclades.

   Louis Antoine de Bougainville names the islands Les Grandes Cyclades.

3. 1774

   British explorer Captain Cook charts the islands calling them the New Hebrides.

   British explorer Captain Cook charts the islands calling them the New Hebrides.

4. 1865

   European settlers begin to arrive on the islands.

   European settlers begin to arrive on the islands.

5. 1878

   Britain and France agreed to Island group remaining independent.

   Britain and France agreed to Island group remaining independent.

6. 1906

   Britain and France make the country a Condominium, under joint administration.

   Britain and France make the country a Condominium, under joint administration. Each power is responsible for its own citizens but indigenous New Hebrideans are looked after by both countries. Non-New Hebrideans choose which country they want to be governed by.

7. 1906

   Coup d’etat failed.

   Coup d’etat failed.

8. 1980

   Independence proclaimed, country renamed Vanuatu.

   Independence proclaimed, country renamed Vanuatu.

9. 1981

   Vanuatu joined the U.N.

   Vanuatu joined the U.N.

10. 2005

    Thousands of people are evacuated as Mount Manaro begins to spew ash and steam.

    Thousands of people are evacuated as Mount Manaro, an active volcano on Ambae, begins to spew ash and steam.