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Port Vila (pronounced /ˌpɔrt ˈviːlə/) is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the...

Port Vila (pronounced /ˌpɔrt ˈviːlə/) is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last census (1999) was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result (1989). This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's population. Port Vila is the economic and commercial centre of Vanuatu. The area occupied by Port Vila has been inhabited by Melanesian people for thousands of years. In 1606, the first Europeans arrived at the island, led by Pedro Fernández de Quirós and Luis Váez de Torres. In the 19th century, French settlers established the municipality of Franceville, which declared independence in 1889 and became the first self-governing nation to practice universal suffrage without distinction of sex or race. Although the population at the time consisted of about 500 native islanders and less than 50 whites, only the latter were permitted to hold office. One of the elected presidents was a U.S. citizen by birth, R.D. Polk. After 1887, the territory was jointly administered by the French and the British. This was formalized in 1906 as an Anglo-French