New Hebrides: Map & History
New Hebrides, named after the Hebrides in Scotland by Captain James Cook in 1774, was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu.
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New Hebrides, named after the Hebrides in Scotland by Captain James Cook in 1774, was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu. The New Hebrides Condominium, which followed the governance of the islands under the Anglo-French Joint Naval Commission, lasted from 1906 until 1980, when New Hebrides gained its independence as the Republic of Vanuatu.
Modern Countries Once Part of New Hebrides
At its mapped extent, New Hebrides covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside New Hebrides's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
New Hebrides in Depth
History
The northern islands of the archipelago had been settled by 1300 BCE by people of the Lapita culture, from Melanesian islands to the west. People of Polynesian origin followed, around 3,000 years before the first Europeans arrived in 1606, in a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós. French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville followed in 1768, and the islands were named by Captain James Cook in 1774.
During the 19th century, British, French, Australian, and German settlers settled in the territory of the New Hebrides. In 1878, the United Kingdom and France declared all of the New Hebrides to be neutral territory. In 1887, the Anglo-French Joint Naval Commission took charge of the territory.
Politics and economy
The New Hebrides was a rare form of colonial territory in which sovereignty was shared by two powers, Britain and France, instead of being exercised by just one. Under the condominium there were three separate governments – one French, one British, and one joint administration that was partially elected after 1975, when elections to the New Hebrides Condominium Representative Assembly took place.
The French and British governments were called residencies, each headed by a resident appointed by the metropolitan government. The residency structure greatly emphasised dualism, with both consisting of an equal number of French and British representatives, bureaucrats and administrators.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: New Hebrides (CC BY-SA 4.0).
New Hebrides: Key Facts
| Capital | Port Vila |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, French, Bislama |
| Currencies | New Hebrides franc, Australian pound |
| Founded | 2 December 1907 |
| Dissolved | 30 July 1980 |
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q752431 (CC0).
Interactive map
New Hebrides on the World War I map →
See New Hebrides on the day-by-day map of World War I.
Interactive map
New Hebrides on the World War II map →
See New Hebrides on the day-by-day map of World War II.
New Hebrides Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which New Hebrides appears, with the other states of the time.
New Hebrides Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 16,885 km² in 1980 CE.
New Hebrides: Frequently Asked Questions
When did New Hebrides exist?
New Hebrides is dated to 1890 CE – 1982 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of New Hebrides?
The capital of New Hebrides was Port Vila.
How large was New Hebrides at its peak?
At its peak in 1980 New Hebrides covered about 16,885 km².
How did the map of New Hebrides change over time?
New Hebrides appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1900 CE to 1945 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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