colony · North America and Oceania

New Hebrides Condominium

1906 CE – 1980 CE · capital Port Vila

A unique joint colony ruled by both Britain and France for 74 years, with two governments, two police forces and two legal systems, which became Vanuatu.

Origins

French and British settlers, planters and missionaries competed in the New Hebrides from the mid-19th century, and neither power would let the other annex the islands. After a joint naval commission was set up in 1887, an Anglo-French convention of 1906 created a condominium, refined by a protocol of 1914.

Rule and society

Each power ran its own administration, police, schools, currency and courts for its own nationals, while a Joint Court, originally presided over by a judge appointed by the King of Spain, handled land and mixed cases. Ni-Vanuatu had no citizenship. Plantations produced copra and cocoa. During the Second World War Espiritu Santo became a huge American base, and the John Frum movement spread on Tanna.

Decline and legacy

The Vanuaʻaku Pati under Walter Lini led the drive for independence, opposed by the Nagriamel movement of Jimmy Stevens, which attempted secession on Espiritu Santo in 1980. The New Hebrides became independent as Vanuatu on 30 July 1980.

Connections (2)

  • New Hebrides Condominium was part of British Empire1906 CE – 1980 CE
  • New Hebrides Condominium was part of French Empire1906 CE – 1980 CE

More states of North America and Oceania →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). New Hebrides Condominium. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/new-hebrides-condominium
MLA
“New Hebrides Condominium.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/new-hebrides-condominium. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “New Hebrides Condominium.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/new-hebrides-condominium.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘New Hebrides Condominium’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/new-hebrides-condominium (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻