Ten fun facts about Port Vila

Fact 1
Port Vila was declared the national capital and the seat of the Condominium government in 1906.

Fact 2
The city is considered a safe and hassle free environment. Local passerbys may even wish a soft 'goodnight' or may strike up a conversation with you.

Fact 3
Since Vanuatu is made up of several islands, Port Vila is actually located on the island of Efate and is the only town on the island.

Fact 4
It is sometimes called the 'Gourmet Capital of the South Pacific' because of the different cultures of cuisine available from Mexican to Vietnamese.

Fact 5
In the 1920's, the original hotel in Port Vila was once a place for drunken plantation owners to gamble using their Melanesian workers as currency.

Fact 6
Around the 1930's, the people of Vanuatu were only allowed to live in Port Vila if they were employed there and they had a 9PM curfew.

Fact 7
The population of Port Vila was only about 44,040, as of 2009.

Fact 8
The coldest month in Port Vila is August and the hottest is February. The record low for the city is 53.6 degrees.

Fact 9
English and French are widespread through the city, but the day-to-day language is mostly Bislama.

Fact 10
Originally, Port Vila was intended to become the largest French plantation on the island but it ended up becoming the municipality of Franceville.