Vanuatu Colonial Records

British and French Colonization (18th and 19th Century-1980)
In 1774, Captain Cook named the islands the New Hebrides, a name that lasted until independence. In the 18th and 19th century British and French farmers and planters, along with missionaries, settled on the islands. In 1878 Britain and France declared all of the New Hebrides to be neutral territory, but the lack of a functional government led to rising discontent among British and French colonists. In 1906, however, France and the United Kingdom agreed to administer the islands jointly. Called the British-French Condominium, it was a unique form of government, with separate governmental systems that came together only in a joint court. On 30 July 1980, the Republic of Vanuatu was created.