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Go on, without looking - where in the world is Vanuatu?

Comments

1. At 03:07 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Dick Hobbs wrote:

   I visited Vanuatu for a couple of days in February. My wife wanted to meet up with an old schoolfriend who went there with VSO in 1972 and never came back.

   While we were there it rained with a ferocity even greater than Wimbledon this year.

   And yes, I think the people there were happy, but it is such a completely different society to ours that it is not easy to judge.

2. At 03:08 PM on 04 Jul 2007, wrote:

   The Pacific's a big place, and if they don't like crowded conditions I reckon they're pretty happy.

   xx
   ed

3. At 03:09 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Dick Hobbs wrote:

   PS In answer to the question in your heading, it is one of what Paul Theroux called "The Happy Isles of Oceania", a group of about 200 islands way to the east of Queensland, although we flew there from Auckland.

4. At 03:09 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Bedd Gelert wrote:

   Hmm..before I look on Google, I would guess it is an island in the Pacific ??

   Not sure how happy they are, but guess they might be less stressed than in Britain ?

5. At 03:13 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Frances O wrote:

   Oooh! No more error 404. And no visible posts yet.

   Um, in the South Pacific? And yes, mostly, except probably not now if they're in the news.

6. At 03:13 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Ernest O wrote:

   Well, at 1514, I hope that answers your question.

7. At 03:13 PM on 04 Jul 2007, wrote:

   And, (after looking) they're pretty happy, or ought to be.
   

   In 2006, the New Economics Foundation and Friends of the Earth environmentalist group rated Vanuatu as the most happy place to live of 178 nations all over the world using the Happy Planet Index.[3]

   
   xx
   ed

   bit not me, 'cause I'm full of malice!

8. At 03:17 PM on 04 Jul 2007, wrote:

   I don't know, but didn't Olivia Newtron-Bomb sing about it in the 1980's?

9. At 03:21 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Chris Ghoti wrote:

   Near Fiji.

   Either not as happy as they were before, or they wouldn't be in the news, or else the happiest people in the world, ditto.

   Am I first? is there a prize?

   (bah. Malicious. Bang go my chances of winning a chance to win something...)

10. At 03:24 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Eddie Mair wrote:

    As I'll be saying tonight:

    
    "Are you happy?

    Or maybe I should put it like this. Are you as happy as the people of Vanuatu, a nation of 200,000 people on 80 small Pacific islands.

    In a survey last year, Vanuatu was found to be the happiest country in the world, based on levels of satisfaction, longevity, and ecological sustainability.

    Their way of life is very different from ours. The vast majority of Vanuatu's population is rural, and reliant on the traditional cashless economy. Some communities shun all outside influence. Increasingly, activists and community elders are wondering exactly what good the outside world and its values are bringing - and why they should, for instance, sell their land for development instead of living off it. Now Vanuatu has launched a campaign to defend its "traditional economy."

    Reporting for PM from Vanuatu, Andrew Harding."
    

11. At 03:35 PM on 04 Jul 2007, witchiwoman wrote:

    I think its in a Island in the Pacific...and they are either very happy, or suicidal (though that may be the Tiwi Islanders). Covered myself there then!

12. At 03:42 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Vyle Hernia wrote:

    So are they happy because of their cashless society (therefore immune from taxes) or

    because they haven't yet had a visit from Friends of the Earth (who used data not their own)?

13. At 03:43 PM on 04 Jul 2007, witchiwoman wrote:

    Wheres my post? Defo sent when no-one was around....maybe it went to Vanuatu; hope it didn't cause any problems.

14. At 03:53 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Anne P. wrote:

    But will they be able to stay happy? Not to put a damper on things, but just how far above current sea level are they?

15. At 04:05 PM on 04 Jul 2007, wrote:

    If they're in the South Pacific, I'd say they'd be Happy Talk.

16. At 04:53 PM on 04 Jul 2007, wrote:

    Oh Anne! -- What a thing to suggest!

    I'm happy - though not as happy as if I was basking on a beach in the Pacific, or the Indian Ocean come to that.

    Like Anne - we all get disillusioned by the weather and spend too long in front of computers. It's fun but ..........

17. At 05:40 PM on 04 Jul 2007, wrote:

    Will they still be happy after the hordes of tourists seeking to see the last unspoiled destination on Earth before the rest of their kind arrive and spoil it?

    xx
    ed

18. At 05:52 PM on 04 Jul 2007, stewart m wrote:

    Is our beach about half way to vanuatu?

19. At 07:32 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Gillian wrote:

    Long may they be left in peace.....they should ban all tourism, eco or otherwise, for a start.

20. At 09:12 PM on 04 Jul 2007, wrote:

    Actually, for a while our company website claimed that Vanuatu was part of Europe.. (I pointed it out to the Americans who were running the site, along with ten other errors, including the creation od a country called Scandanvia (sic))...

21. At 11:24 PM on 04 Jul 2007, admin annie wrote:

    oh Fearless that's priceless, the bit about the country called Scandinavia.
    I had an e-mail read out on our local radio station this morning about the new county flag and it's comparability or otherwise to the flag flown by the Quisling government of Norway. Sadly I didn't hear the item myself but my husband assures me that it was introduced as an e-mail 'all the way from Norway'. Must be something to do with my surname, alhtough it's not Norwegian.............

22. At 11:53 PM on 04 Jul 2007, Aperitif wrote:

    It sounds peachy.

23. At 10:56 AM on 05 Jul 2007, admin annie wrote:

    it appears that I have been modded off this thread. Since the only possible crime my totally harmless post might have committed is a remark about my local radio station could I just point out to the mods that although local it is a *´óÏó´«Ã½* local station. Now they might post it.

24. At 11:01 AM on 05 Jul 2007, Larold wrote:

    A Melanesian chain of islands once known as the New Hebrides.

    Vanuatu has the most languages per head of population in the world. Although the official language is pidgin - known as Bislama - after the French word for sea cucumber (Beche de la Mer), on which the colonialists based the economy.

    It is also the home of bungee jumping, except they use vines. It is an initiation ceremony.

    The diving is spectacular. The kava served at the Nakamals is industrial strength.

    Politically it was once run by both Britain and France (who competed to have the highest flagpoles) and for a short period recently the Prime Minister recognised Taiwan as an independent country while supporting the One China policy.

    In short it is cool as a sea cucumber