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LIVING IN TOWNS

SOCIAL SCIENCE YEAR 9

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LIVING IN TOWNS

Student’s Book

Year 9

Ministry of EducationPort Vila

Republic of Vanuatu2000

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Fifth Edition 2000.

Revised by Reginald Garoleo, following recommendations from the Social Science Workshop held at Matevulu College inAugust 1995.

Layout: Raela Ruben

Previous editions 1997, 1980, 1985, 1988.

© Ministry of Education

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, orby any means, without prior permission from the publisher.Layout:

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ContentsChapter 1 Villages, Towns and Cities ................................................................. 5Chapter 2 Early Towns and Cities ....................................................................... 7

Babylon ............................................................................................... 7Nile Valley .......................................................................................... 7Indus Valley ........................................................................................ 8Greece ................................................................................................. 8Rome................................................................................................. 10Mexico City ...................................................................................... 10

Chapter 3 Where do towns grow up? ................................................................ 15Sites of villages and towns ............................................................... 15Why do towns develop? ................................................................... 18

Chapter 4 Towns in the South Pacific ............................................................... 23Recent growth ................................................................................... 23Pacific towns today ........................................................................... 24Urban drift ........................................................................................ 26

Chapter 5 Urban Inhabitants.............................................................................. 33Population of Port Vila* in 1989 ...................................................... 33Population of Luganville Town* in 1989 ......................................... 33The multi-racial character of Port Vila and of Luganville (1989) .... 34The multi-racial character of New York ........................................... 34

Chapter 6 Urban Problems ................................................................................ 39Slums, or “Shanty Towns” ................................................................ 39Pollution ........................................................................................... 40Traffic Congestion ............................................................................ 40Crime ................................................................................................ 41Unemployment ................................................................................. 41Accidents .......................................................................................... 42

Chapter 7 Urban Zones ..................................................................................... 43What is a zone? ................................................................................. 43The arrangement of zones in a town ................................................. 46Heights of buildings in towns ........................................................... 47

Chapter 8 Urbanization in Vanuatu ................................................................... 53Introduction ...................................................................................... 53The growth of Port Vila .................................................................... 54The growth of Luganville ................................................................. 68

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Chapter 9 Urbanization in the world today ....................................................... 83Growth of world population ............................................................. 83The world’s largest cities .................................................................. 84

Appendix A Revision Test .................................................................................... 88Appendix B Glossary ............................................................................................ 91

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CHAPTER 1

VILLAGES, TOWNS ANDCITIES

You have already studied how people live together in families and incommunities. In most parts of the world, the main type of community isstill the rural village. However, in the last 150 years there has been atremendous growth of towns and cities in every continent of the worldexcept Antarctica.

A village on Tanna, in Vanuatu

The town of Bergen, Norway

A.

B.

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ACTIVITIES

1. The class should divide up into small groups, with approximately5 students in each. The group then studies photographs A, B and

The city of New York, U.S.A.

C.

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C above and makes a list of the differences between villages,towns and cities. Think about the following features:

• size (population, area, etc.)

• type of building (materials, size, etc.)

• how people make their living (type of employment, etc.)

• the inhabitants and how long they have lived there

• main problems of living.

After the group discussion, the class comes together again, andone person from each group can report on the group’s findings.

2. Would you rather live in a village, a town or a large city? Giveyour reasons.

CHAPTER 2

EARLY TOWNS AND CITIESAlthough most towns and cities have only grown up in the eighteenth andnineteenth centuries, some cities such as Jericho, Babylon and Damascusare thousands of years old. Some archaeologists believe that Jericho beganas long as 10,000 years ago!

The first great cities grew up in the six areas shown on the map of theworld on page 9. These areas (Mesopotamia, Nile Valley, Indus Valley,Hwang-Ho Valley, Central America and the Peruvian Andes) all had fertilealluvial soils, and the farmers could produce plenty of food, especiallycereals. Surplus food could be grown to feed the people living in thecities, who were not themselves involved in food production.

It was when people first started living in towns and cities that civilizationbegan. The world “civilization” originally meant “living in a town”.

Here are some short descriptions of some of the early cities:

Babylon

Around the year 3000 B.C., Babylon was a large and magnificent city,protected all around by 18 km of wall, with watch-towers at intervals. Themain gate into the city had many carvings on it. From the wall, you couldlook down on to the congested (1) town and its temples, palaces, gardens,markets and storehouses. Most of the ordinary homes were made of driedclay, and were close to the streets that crossed the city in a grid-ironpattern (2). The city was also an important port on the banks of the

A “grid-iron”street pattern

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Euphrates River.

Nile Valley

In 3000 B.C., there were many small towns in Egypt along the banks ofthe River Nile. Each town and its small river port was surrounded by amud-brick wall to protect it from attack. The streets were mostly on asquared or grid-iron pattern.

The rich people lived in one part of the town “up-wind” from the poorerpeople. The wealthier people lived in two storey (3) houses. There weremany community buildings such as temples, sports stadiums and theatres.

Indus Valley

By 2500 B.C., the town of Mohenjo-daro had about 50,000 people. Thestreets were unpaved (4), but the town had a complete sewage disposalsystem (5). All homes had bathrooms, and any had running water. Houseswere usually of two stories and were made of mud-brick. Streets were laidout in a grid-iron pattern.

Greece

In the country of Greece at about 600 B.C., each tribe formed a separatestate, each with its own city. They called each city-state a “polis” (fromwhich comes the word metropolis (6). The main city-state was calledAttica, with the city of Athens at its centre.

Each city had a grid-iron street plan and was surround by strong walls. TheGreeks had a system of government called democracy (7), in which all thefree people (not the slaves) voted to choose their leaders. The people lovedbeauty and thought that leisure (8) was very important, so they builtbeautiful libraries, temples, theatres, swimming baths and sports areas.

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Rome

By 0 A.D., Rome had become a large city, with a wall all around it. Thecity was connected by excellent paved roads with its surroundinghinterland (9) and the rest of the Roman Empire. Along these roads weresmall farms and country houses for the rich people of Rome, whocommuted (10) to them at weekends.

The city was carefully planned out and organized, with bridges over theRiver Tiber, and many huge community buildings like Athens had had. Inaddition, the Romans developed many amenities (11) to help the people.For example, there was a supply of running water to every house, and asewage disposal system carried waste along a series of drains into theriver.

A picture of ancient Rome is show below. The larger buildings are templesand palaces. The famous narrow square called the Forum runs from left toright through the centre of the picture. Very few of these old buildingsremain today.

Mexico City

This began when the Aztecs, or Mexicas, settled on a marshy island in themiddle of Lake Texcoco at about 1325 A.D. The settlement was called

Ancient Rome

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Tenochtitlan, and it was made the capital of the Aztec Empire.

The city was zoned (12) into districts from different activities. In thecentre was the magnificent Great Temple, where the Aztecs regularly madehuman sacrifices. This was surrounded by other temples, and then by thehomes of the rich. Beyond came the poorer homes around the edge of thecity. Some of the poorest people even lived outside the protection of thecity walls.

Each day the townspeople commuted to the mainland to work on theirfarms, and each evening they returned again to the safety of the walls.

In the early 1500’s, the Spanish army, led by Hernan Cortes, set out toconquer the whole of Central America. When they first arrived atTenochtitlan in 1521, the island city covered about 10 km2 in area. ToCortes and his men, the city was dazzling, appearing like a “vision from adream”. This is how they described it:

“We had a clear view of the causeways by which the city communicatedwith the land, and of the aqueduct (13)… which supplied the city with thefinest water. We were struck with the numbers of canoes, passing to andfrom the mainland, loaded with provisions and merchandise… We couldnow see that the houses stood separate from each other, communicatingonly by small draw-bridges and by boats, and that they were built withterraced tops. We observed that the temples were built in the form oftowers… and were wonderfully brilliant (red, green, turquoise andyellow)…”

The Spanish destroyed most of the buildings in Tenochtitlan, and rebuiltthe city as Mexico City. As the city grew, so people gradually reclaimed(14) the old canals; they also reclaimed parts of the surrounding lake inorder to make the ground suitable for building houses.

Tenochtitlan in 1521

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Today, the fastest-growing metropolis on earth stands upon the site ofTenochtitlan. Mexico City, with its 18 million inhabitants, covers most ofthe former Lake Texcoco, its islands, and some of the mainland beyond.

ACTIVITIES

1. On an outline map of the world:

a. shade and name the 6 areas where civilization began

b. mark by a dot and name the following early towns and citiesthat still exist today: Athens, Rome, Damascus, Jericho,Mexico, City, Cuzco, Beijing (Peking).

Give your map a title!

2. Explain why the earliest cities developed in very fertile areas.

3. Explain the present-day meanings of the 14 terms numbered (1)to (14). Give an actual example of each.

The Great Temple, Tenochtitlan, in 1500 A.D.

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4. Complete this list to show the common characteristics of earlytowns and cities. The first one has already been done for you:

a. They were usually surrounded by a high wall

b.

c.

d.

e.

5. a. In Egypt, the prevailing winds for most of the year arewesterly (i.e. they come from the west). In the towns, themore wealthy people lived “up-wind”, while the poorerpeople had to live “down-wind”. Try to explain the reasonfor this, illustrating your answer with a sketch map.

b Can you describe any other ways in which the life of thericher people was different from that of the poorer people inthe early towns and cities?

6. What is the difference between social services and amenities?Give examples of each from the early towns that you have studied.

7. As the early towns grew in size, why did buildings in the centrebecome taller and taller?

Extra activity:

8. Find out more from your library about one of these topics. Thenprepare a 1 - 2 page illustrated report of your research:

• Roman towns

• Greek city states

• Early civilization in the Nile Valley

• The Aztecs

• The Incas

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CHAPTER 3

WHERE DO TOWNSGROW UP?

Sites of villages and towns

The place where a village or town starts to grow up is called its site.

Usually a site is chosen because it has certain advantages. There must be asupply of fresh water, from a stream or well. The place must be able to bedefended from attack. The ground must be suitable for farming. Lowground must be avoided in case there is a flood.

Can you think of any other reasons why people might choose a particularsite?

The map below show sites of settlements in the north east of Malakula,Vanuatu. Notice how people have chosen to live on small offshore islandslike Vao and Atchin. Such islets could easily be defended, and theygenerally had fewer mosquitoes. They were also the places where the earlymission stations were set up, so that people came to live there when theywere converted to Christianity.

I. VAO

I. ATCHIN

Tobghanu

BétéhulVénu Singon

BétérihiLavamé

AmbilakNorowré

Lambetbak

Lahambar Tolamp (Rf)

L é b u

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Palanua

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Tonmalvar

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Malvéveng (Rf)

Melbarav

Tchinarngatan

Tchinarmaré

Rowar

Onma

Mélep

Melmarur

Noos

Fotinwéiu

Lovalsal

Kernaï(Camp.)

Viungnaot

Wormet

Palanua

1000 m 0 1 2 3 4 5 km

Véturah

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Every town and city has an original site, from which it began. London andBangkok grew up near the mouths of rivers. Rio de Janeiro and Sydneygrew up around sheltered harbours.

The city of Paris started on a small island in the middle of the River Seine,known as the “Ile de la Cité”. Look for this island in the picture below,which shows Paris in 1596. Find the famous church known as NotreDame. Notice how the town has spread out on either side of the river, andlook for the city wall.

Today, Paris covers an area of many hundred square kilometres, but theoriginal site can still be seen.

Paris in 1596

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ACTIVITIES

1. Describe the site of your own village, town or school. Forexample, is it on the coast? Is there a stream or river close by? Isthe ground flat or sloping? How high is it?

2. Give three reasons why most people on the north east of Malakulachose to live on the offshore islands and not on the mainland.

3. With the help of a simple sketch map, describe the original site ofParis. What were two advantages of this site? What is theapproximate area in km2 of the original site? (Use the scale of themap on page 17 to help you measure the length and breadth of theisland.)

4. Study the picture above. Then briefly describe the site of the town,and suggest why it was built on this site.

Why do towns develop?

Why do some settlements grow up into great cities, while others do not?

The answer is partly to do with the site of the settlement. For example,places that have good natural harbours, with deep water and shelter fromprevailing winds, often become large ports. Settlements on flat land canexpand easily.

But there are other reasons. The position of a place inside a country, and itsnearness to lines of communication, is very important. So is the type ofactivity, or function, that is being carried out. For example if a place ismade the capital city of a country, it will grow rapidly; the setting up offactories in a town will “pull” in many people to work, and the town willexpand.

The town of Casares in Spain

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The following activity will help you to understand why certain villagesgrow into towns.

ACTIVITY: The Paci Group of Islands

A. Background planning

1. The class should divide into pairs. Each pair takes a large sheetof paper and writes along the top “the Paci Group of Islands”.

Each pair should then draw a map of a group of 15 imaginaryislands. These islands must not be real, i.e. they must not look likeany existing islands! Show features such as bays, reefs, rivers,high ground (brown) and low ground (green). Five islands shouldbe large, five should be of medium size and five should be verysmall. Each island should be given a name or a code letter.

2. Draw an arrow ( ) to show which way is north. It is usual tohave north at the top of the paper. Draw another arrow or sign toshow the direction of the prevailing winds.

3. At the foot of the paper, draw a linear scale to show that 10kilometres on the ground is represented by 4 centimetres on themap. Indicate a key for your map by drawing a box 20 cm by10 cm in one corner of the paper.

4. Now write in one of these 15 labels next to each island. It is up toeach pair to choose which label belongs to which island;

• Valuable kaori forest• Mt. Tabu (2000 m)• Attractive scenery and sandy beaches• Low-grade copper deposits• Large area of coconut plantations• Steep volcanic island• Flat coral island with no water• Island with a large natural harbour• Island with a small, well-sheltered natural harbour• Islanders refuse to sell land• Islanders willing to sell land• Island with a very powerful chief• Very fertile garden land• Long period of missionary influence• Excellent offshore fishing grounds

5. The last step is to mark the sites of 15 villages using red dots.Three islands should be left uninhabited. Some of the otherislands will have more than one settlement. Number each villageform 1 to 15.

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B. Activities (You are still working in pairs!)

1. Decide which one of your villages 1 to 15 will grow the mostrapidly into a town. Look carefully at the site of each village, andits position within the Paci Group, before making your decision.Label your chose place “Gudton”. In your exercise book, list allthe reasons why Gudton will develop.

2. Choose another village that is remote and has a poor site. Labelit “Nating”. List all the reasons why this settlement is not likelyto grow into a town.

3. With a ruler, draw straight red lines joining settlements with theirnearest neighbours. You will end up with a number of triangles.

Now copy the table shown below into your exercise books.Measure the distance from Gudton along the red lines to each ofthe other villages, and put a tick (4) in the appropriate place incolumn (a). For example, if you have 3 villages at distances of11,18 and 37 km from Gudton, you would show three ticks as onthe table. Then measure the distance from Nating to each of theother villages, and record your answers in column (b). Checkthat you have 14 ticks in (a) and 14 in (b).

(a) (b)Distance in km from Gudton from Nating

0 - 9

10 - 19 44

20 - 29

30 - 39 4

40 - 49

50 - 59

60 - 69

70 - 79

80 - 89

90 - 99

100 and over

Now write down what you notice about differences between thedistribution of ticks in the two columns. Does Gudton haveseveral villages close to it? What about Nating?

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4. Draw blue lines on your map to show the likely routes taken byships to reach each settlement. Think carefully about such thingsas:

• shelter from prevailing winds• reefs• high costs of fuel for long journeys.

In your key, draw a blue line and label it “sea communications”.

5. Assume that the red lines already drawn refer to air routes.In your key, draw a red line and label it “air communications”.

6. Draw black lines to show the main roads in the Paci Group.Several roads will link Gudton to other villages and places on itsisland.

7. Do you think that Gudton is a route focus? Why do you say this?Write down your reasons in your exercise book.

8. The hinterland of Gudton means the area it serves. Inside thisarea, village people send their crops and produce to Gudton forsale there. Also, people living in the hinterland go to Gudton forservices like hospitals, secondary schools and shopping. In yourexercise book, describe Gudton’s hinterland (which villages andislands are inside it, how wide it is, etc.). Say whether there isenough room for Gudton to expand into its hinterland in thefuture. Why is it important for Gudton to have goodcommunications with the villages in its hinterland?

C. Summary

Each pair takes it in turns to hold up its map in front of the classand to explain the reasons for its choice of Gudton, Nating andthe lines of communication. The rest of the class can question thepair about its map.

D. Extra tasks

1. Imagine world copper prices rise very rapidly. Where might asmall mining town develop in the Paci Group? What problemswill it face?

2. Suppose that the Paci Island government wanted to have a newcapital. All government offices are to be moved out of Gudton tothis new city, which will also have new housing areas andfactories. What new site would you choose, and why?

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CHAPTER 4

TOWNS IN THE SOUTHPACIFIC

Recent growth

For centuries, Pacific islanders lived in scattered or dispersed family unitsor in small nucleated villages. In Vanuatu, such settlements were usuallysited on small islands near to larger ones (e.g. Ifira, Mele, Toman, Tangoa),or on hill-tops. Why?

The first Pacific towns developed as a result of the establishment oftrading posts and mission stations just over one hundred years ago. Suchtowns grew up at good anchorages, and were all ports. Examples areLevuka (founded in 1825), Avarua (1831), Papeete (1843), Noumea(1854), Suva (1876), Port Moresby (1884) and Port Vila (1886). Townslike Labasa and Lautoka grew up around sugar mills. The towns ofHoniara and Luganville grew up around American military bases builtduring the Second World War. Honiara was only really established as lateas 1944.

The rapid expansion of Pacific towns in recent years is due to themigration of people from rural areas, or outer islands. All the towns grewlarger as colonial powers set up their administrations there and neededpeople to come and work in government offices. Now that most Pacificcountries have their independence, people have continued to migrate intothe towns seeking employment in industries, commerce and

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Part of the city of Honolulu, Oahu island, Hawaii

administration.

Pacific towns today

Estimated Name of Estimated % of total pop.

Country total pop. Main centre pop. of main living in main (1986) centre (1986) centre

American Samoa 56 000 Pago-Pago 26 800 48

Cook Islands 19 020 Avarua 4 222 59

Fiji 797 000 Suva 366 620 46

French Polynesia 223 000 N.W. Tahiti 120 420 54

Hawaii 1 187 000 Honolulu 387 500 33

Kiribati 80 000 South Tarawa 29 600 37

Marshall Islands 57 000 Majuro 37 050 65

New Caledonia 196 836 Noumea-Mt.Dore 139 754 71

Solomon Islands 391 000 Honiara 50 830 13

Tonga 98 000 Nuku’alofa 35 280 36

Tuvalu 10 000 Funafuti 4 200 42

Vanuatu 174 000 Port-Vila 30 320 18

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Western Samoa 166 000 Apia 34 860 21

ACTIVITIES

1. Draw a bar chart to show the total populations of the 13countries listed in the table on page 24. Inside each bar, shadethe part that represents the number living in the main centre ofthe country. Use a vertical scale of 1 cm = 50,000 people. Labelyour graph fully.

2. Make a list of the main Pacific towns in order of population size.

3. a. Which two towns have the greatest percentage of theircountries’ population?

b. Which two towns have the least percentage of theircountries’ population?

c. Which countries have more than 1/3 of their populationliving in the main centre?

Map showing the principaltowns of the

Central and South Pacific

MARSHALLISLANDS

Majuro

South Tarawa

KIRIBATI

Honolulu

HAWAII

SOLOMONISLANDS

HoniaraTUVALU

Funafuti

VANUATU

Port-VilaFIJI

Suva

SAMOA

ApiaPago-Pago

AM. SAMOA

Nuku’alofa

TONGA

NoumeaNEWCALEDONIA

COOKISLANDS

FRENCHPOLYNESIA

Avarua

Papeete

160oE 170oE 180o 170oW 160oW 150oW

20oN

10oN

0o

10oS

20oS

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4. Why do you think Pacific towns are growing rapidly at themoment?

5. Draw a sketch map of the South Pacific to show the location ofthe main towns. Show each town by a different sized dot toindicate its population. Here is one way that you could show thedots:

> 200,00

100,00 to 200,000

50,000 to 99,999

20,000 to 49,999

10,000 to 19,999

< 10,000

Extra activity

6. Find out more about the growth of any one Pacific town outsideVanuatu. You could choose Honolulu, Avarua, Levuka, or anyother town. Prepare a short report.

Urban drift

You have just found out that Pacific towns are showing a rapid increase inpopulation at present, largely because people are moving from the villagesand the outer islands to the main urban centres of each country. Thismovement is called rural-urban drift.

Rural-urban drift takes place in almost all countries of the world. InEuropean countries like France, Britain and West Germany, the movementbegan 200 years ago, when factories were built during the industrialrevolution. In the Pacific islands, the same thing is happening, but thedrift started much later. In some places it only began after the SecondWorld War.

There are several reasons for rural-urban drift. They can be divided into“push” factors and “pull” factors. “Push” factors make people want toleave the rural areas because of difficulties they are facing there. “Pull”factors make people want to come and live in the towns because of variousadvantages that are there. “Push” and “pull” factors are shown in thediagram on page 29.

123456123456123456123456123456123456

123451234512345123451234512345

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In Vanuatu, many people leave their villages because it is hard for them toearn money there, especially if copra prices are low. They also leave iftheir gardens have been damaged by cyclones or volcanic ash, or if they donot have enough land. In the past, it was not necessary to have muchmoney. But nowadays people want to buy clothes, they need to pay schoolfees, and they like to be able to buy tinned foods and other goods from themany local stores around the islands. Some people may be able to earnmoney by sending artifacts or shells to be sold in Port Vila or Luganville,or by selling copra or cocoa, or by driving a taxi, or by working in amission or government job (for example, in a school or dispensary).However, most people need to go to the towns and find paid employment,if they want to make money.

Many young people drift to Vila

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To many, especially the young people, the village does not seem anexciting place in which to live. Towns appear to offer excitement andinterest - shops, busy markets, cinemas, public buildings, parks, sport,night clubs, music and the chance of meeting many new people. We saythat the young people are attracted by the “bright lights” of the town.Others go to the towns in order to continue with school or highereducation.

Those who drift to the towns often go to stay with relatives from theirisland who are already there. The kind relatives let the young person staywith them. They feed him too, since he probably doesn’t have any moneywhen he first arrives. Their house may be crowded, but they make roomfor him to sleep on the floor.

Most people who drift to the town soon find out that urban life has manyproblems. There are not enough jobs for those who need them, andunemployment is very common. Many of the new arrivals are unskilledworkers who have not had much education. They cannot therefore obtainhighly paid jobs. Most of them work on the wharf, on building sites, onplantations, or as housegirls. The work is often irregular and is poorlypaid. At any time, a worker may lose his job and not be able to findanother one. Money that is earned must be used to pay for accommodationand food. And if a person does not have a garden, the price of foodbecomes very expensive.

Living conditions in the town may also be difficult. In several parts ofPort Vila and Luganville there is overcrowding, lack of good water andsewage facilities, and no adequate lighting.

Then there are the problems that arise when people have to adjust to a newway of life in a crowded place among many strangers. In the villages,young people are known by everybody, and they are under the control oftheir parents, elders, pastors and chiefs. But once they reach the town, theythink they are free to behave in any way they wish. Girls and boys go andlive together without getting married. Illegitimate babies are born. Youngmen spend their money in night-clubs and bars. They get drunk and fightpeople from other islands. They get involved in traffic accidents. They maystart stealing. If young people are single, they may get bored at weekendsand on public holidays, as there is nothing to do in the house where theyare staying. Married men who have left their wives and children behind inthe villages may also get bored and unhappy, since they miss havingfamily life and a home of their own.

So perhaps young people should think very carefully before leaving theirvillages for the excitement of the town. Unless they have a goodeducation, they will not get work in an office. If they do not have aparticular skill or trade, it will be hard to find other work.

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Throughout the Pacific, governments are trying to stop the drift to thetowns. But unless a real effort is made to encourage rural development, themigration will continue.

A discussion between students of the former British Secondary School,Port Vila, about whether ni-Vanuatu should stay in their villages or goaway to work in towns such as Port Vila, Luganville and Noumea

Tasaau: I feel that ni-Vanuatu should stay in their villages and followthe traditional way of life, growing crops in their gardens andcutting copra. If all the strong young men go and work in thetowns, the land will be neglected.

Kollan: When a man goes away to work in the town, his wife can staybehind in the village to look after the animals and tend theland.

Julian: I disagree with you because there might be a cyclone whilethe husband is away, and a wife should not be expected tolook after the home at such a time and do the heavy work ofrebuilding afterwards.

Lindsay: Like Julian, I also feel that husband and wife should staytogether and not be separated. The wife might get sick whileher husband is away. If a man goes to town he should take hiswife and family with him.

Reasons for rural-urban drift

“PULL” FACTORS

More jobsMore amenitiesBetter education“Bright lights”

“PUSH” FACTORS

Lack of jobsLack of moneyFew amenitiesLack of landNatural disasters

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Reporter: Why then do people go to the towns, especially when lifethere is so much more expensive?

Serei: You can live quite cheaply in a village if you build your ownhouses of local materials and grow your own food. As soonas you move to a town you have to pay rent and water rates aswell as having to spend a lot of money on food each week. Ifyou haven’t got any land to make a garden in town you haveto buy all your vegetables, and this makes a big difference tothe family budget.

George: Many people are forced to leave their villages and go to workin towns because they do not have much land in the village.This means they cannot earn money to pay for such things astheir children’s school fees. Maybe they have very smallplantations and so cannot cut enough copra to sell, andanyway the price of copra is so low now that it is impossibleto make a lot of money by selling it. If you want yourchildren to be educated, then you must go and work in thetowns to earn the money for their school fees.

Leonard: I feel it is possible to make money while still living in yourvillage. You can raise cattle or grow cocoa.

Job: You still need both money and land to do this. Before you canstart raising cattle you must go to the town and earn themoney to buy stock and equipment and to pay the wages ofthose who will work for you.

Kenneth: Although many ni-Vanuatu go to the towns to earn money tohelp their families and their village, they do not always usethe money for this purpose once they have earned it.

Hilson: I agree. Many young men get into bad habits while they areliving in the towns, and they waste their money on drinkingin the bars and going to night-clubs. Sometimes they havegirlfriends in towns and deceive their wives, and sometimesthey get drunk and fight with other men. When such men arein the village, they obey their pastor and chief, but when theycome to the towns they do not go to church and there is no-one to correct them.

Jerry: I totally agree with you, Hilson.

Andrew: Their relatives back in the village might get sick and diewhile they were away. It is no good earning a lot of money tohelp your parents if by the time you return they are dead.

31

Jerry: I’ve changed my mind. The ni-Vanuatu are content to sit intheir villages learning nothing new and just following whattheir fathers and grandfathers did before them. Ni-Vanuatushould come to the towns and learn new and better ways todevelop their country.

George: I agree. Most of the jobs for educated people are to be foundin the towns.

John: I know it is a good thing for ni-Vanuatu to go to the townsand get education and training, but I think that once they haveacquired these they should not stay in the towns to work.They should take their skill and knowledge back to thevillages and help develop their country in this way. Not alldevelopment takes place in the towns, since the majority ofni-Vanuatu live in the villages, and it is these people that theeducated ni-Vanuatu should try and help. People could comeand get training at the Teachers’ College in Port Vila and thengo back and teach in their village schools. They could go tothe Agricultural School at Tagabe and then teach the villagepeople new and better techniques of farming or show themhow to improve the quality of their copra.

ACTIVITIES

1. Read the article on urban drift on pages 26 to 29, and then writeone sentence to answer each of these questions:

a. How long has the drift to the towns been going on in someEuropean countries?

b. When did the drift to the towns start in the Pacific?

c. Why do some young people feel freer in the town?

d. How do people in a town get their food?

e. How would you describe the age and sex of most urbanmigrate?

f. State one way in which rural-urban drift might be stopped.

2. Divide into groups. Make lists of the advantages and thedisadvantages of migrating from rural areas into towns.

3. Explain the difference between “push” and “pull” factors incausing rural-urban migration. Give some actual examples ofeach from Vanuatu.

32

33

CHAPTER 5

URBAN INHABITANTS

Population of Port Vila* in 1989

Citizenship Place of Birth Number

Ni-Vanuatu Port Vila 6960Efate Rural 1155Tafea 1805Shepherds 1508Paama 997Malekula 992Ambae/Maewo 829Santo 760Pentecost 715Ambrym 588Banks/Torres 187Epi 182Total 16608

Non-Ni-Vanuatu 1599

TOTAL 18207

Population of Luganville in 1989

Citizenship Place of Birth Number

Ni-Vanuatu Luganville 2798Santo Rural 466Ambae/Maewo 527Pentecost 493Malekula 402Banks/Torres 394Ambrym 382Paama 381Efate 353Tafea 120Shepherds 66Epi 50Total 6432

Non-Ni-Vanuatu 239

TOTAL 6671

*See maps on pages 56 and 73 for limits of Port Vila and Luganville.Note that “Port Vila” here means the Municipal Council Area plusMalapoa Reserve.

34

The multi-racial character of Port Vila and of Luganville (1989)

Ethnic group % of population % of population of Port Vila of Luganville

Ni-Vanuatu 89 96European 8 1Others 5 3

TOTAL 100 100

The multi-racial character of New York

Can you name 4 different ethnic groups in this photograph?

ACTIVITIES

1. Study the tables on page 33, and then answer the followingquestions:

a. Draw a pie-chart to show the place of birth of theinhabitants of Port Vila in 1986.

Method: Firstly round off each number to the nearesthundred, e.g. 1,044 becomes 1,000; 586 becomes600. Then divide each number by the total forPort Vila (13,800) and multiply by 360o.

For example, Malakula will be:

Refer to the figure on the next page:

A crowded street in central New York

35

= 16o (to the nearest o)

Shade your pie-chart in different colours an label it carefully.

b. Draw a similar pie-chart for Luganville. Use the samecolours for shading the place of birth that you used in a.

c. What was the total urban population in 1986? What % ofthe urban population were citizens?

d. From which three islands outside Efate do most inhabitantsof Port Vila come?

e. From which three islands outside Santo do most inhabitantsof Luganville come?

f. From which islands do many people migrate to bothPort Vila and Luganvilla?

g. From which countries outside Vanuatu do most inhabitantsof Port Vila and Luganville come?

2. Write a paragraph about one family that you know that hasmigrated to Port Vila or Luganville. Give the names of membersof the family, say how long in the first place. Draw a sketch mapto show where exactly their house is in Port Vila or Luganville.

3. Study the table on page 34, and then answer the followingquestions:

a. What is meant by a multi-racial society?

b. What is meant by “Ni-Vanuatu” in this table?

c. Where have the Europeans come from, and for what reasons?

d. Which countries have the “Other Pacific Islanders” comefrom? Why have some of them settled permanently inVanuatu?

o o

600 x 360

13 800 1

23

360 15

23 23

o

= = 15

36

e. What is means by “Other”?

f. Can you now make a full list of all the distinct ethnic groupsthat are to be found in Vanuatu?

4. Carry out the following exercise in order to find out some of thedifferent kinds of people who move into Pacific towns, andwhere they choose to live.

Copy lists A and B into your exercise book. List A gives 9 kinds ofpeople who move into the town, and List B contains 8 places orareas in the town where they may go to live. Then answerquestions a. to f.:

List A List B

• students • government housing

• unskilled workers • hotelsand their families

• trained government • boarding schools andworkers colleges

• single men and women • overcrowded, low-costhousing areas

• expatriates • homes of relatives andfriends of that particular

• tourists island

• very old people • hostels

• sick people • hospitals

• people from one • high-cost housing areas andparticular island residential estates

a. Draw a box ( ) around the kind of people whowould not normally wish to migrate to a town.

b. Draw straight lines from the kinds of people in List A to the areasof the town in List B where they will be most likely to live.

Note: If you think that one type of people could live in more thanone area, draw several straight lines. Do not draw anylines coming out from the people you named in question a.

c. Explain the meaning of these terms:

unskilled worker hostelexpatriate residential estate

37

d. If a trained government worker is earning a high salary, wheremight he/she and the family decide to go and live?

e. Excluding the people named in a., which two kinds of people arelikely to be only temporary residents in the town? Why?

f. In many South Pacific towns there are far fewer expatriates todaythan there were a few years ago. Why is this?

38

39

CHAPTER 6

URBAN PROBLEMS

Slums, or “Shanty Towns”

Makeshift houses built by squatters in an African city

40

Pollution

Traffic Congestion

Rubbish left behind by the tide near Unity Park, Luganville

Traffic in Seoul (S.Korea)

41

Crime

Unemployment

Articles stolen from houses in Vila by a gang of thieves in 1999

A man seeking work in Mexico City

42

Accidents

ACTIVITIES

1. Briefly describe the problem shown in each picture. Then suggestreasons why this problem occurs.

2. Give two actual examples of each problem that you have comeacross. Take your examples from Port Vila, Luganville or any othertown or city.

Traffic accident at Nambatu, Port-Vila

43

CHAPTER 7

URBAN ZONES

What is a zone?

A town can often be divided into different parts or zones according to thevarious activities that are being carried out.

The following photographs show you some of the main zones that can befound in urban areas:

COMMERCIAL ZONE

Shops and offices in the center of Port Vila

44

ADMINISTRATIVE ZONE

INDUSTRIAL ZONE

Government buildings and the Post Office, Port Vila

Docks (wharves) and warehouses in the port of London

45

RECREATIONAL ZONE

RESIDENTIAL ZONE

Malapoa Estate, Port Vila

Park in the centre of town, PortVila

46

The arrangement of zones in a town

The central business district, or C.B.D., is the central part of the townwhere most of the commercial activities (shops, businesses, offices, etc.)are located. It often contains government buildings and parks.

Residential zones are where people live. They may have their own homes,or they may live in rented accommodation. Blocks of apartments or“flats” may occur in this zone. Some residential zones may have high-costhousing. Others may have low-cost housing, inhabited by people who haveless money.

The industrial zone is where most of the factories and industries arelocated. This zone includes the port area and nearby warehouses.

The whole of the built-up or town area can be called urban. Undevelopedground, gardens, plantations and farmlands make up the rural areas.

The suburbs are the parts of the town outside the central area, or C.B.D.

In some very densely populated countries such a U.K., Belgium, France,West Germany and Japan, large towns and cities have a green belt aroundthe urban area. This is a belt or area in which no building is allowed, andthe land remains as farmland, forest and parkland. The purpose of thegreen belt is to stop the town from rapidly encroaching into the rural areasaround it.

Do you think that green belts should be established around Port Vila andLuganville?

Key

Built-up areas

Ribbon development

By-pass

Central Business District

Gree Belt

Q.D.A.

Q.D.A.

Main Road

VILLAGE

INDUSTRIALRESIDENTIAL

RESIDENTIALMainRoad

0 1 2 3 km

N

47

Heights of buildings in towns

The Central Business District usually contains several multi-storeybuildings. Why is this? (Hint - think about the value of the land in thecentre of a town).

Central Business District

Commercial/Industrial Zone

Residential Zone

Bridge

Statue of Liberty

Manhattan Is.

Bronx

Queens

Brooklyn

Richmond

PARTSOF

THE CIYOF

NEW YORK L O N G

I S L A N D

Hudso

n R

iver

Central Park

New

ark

Bay

The N

arrows

A T L A N T I C O C E A N

Long Islandsound

East

Riv

er

0 8 km

N

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

SUBURBS C.B.D. SUBURBS

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Diagram showing the relative heights of buildingsin the Central Business District and in the suburbs

48

Multi-storey buildings in central Sao Paulo, Brazil

The “Banque Indosuez Vanuatu” (B.I.V.), the tallest building in Port Vila

49

ACTIVITIES

1. The zones of an imaginary Pacific island town

a. Draw a square frame measuring 15 cm by 15 cm in yourexercise book. Then copy the following sketch map inside theframe. Leave enough room for the key.

b. Now draw a series of grid lines at 1 cm intervals across the map.There is no ned to draw them over the sea area. You will end upwith a number of squares, each of which is 1 cm2 in area andrepresents 1 hectare on the ground.

c. Colour each square (or part square, if along the coast) in one ofthe four colours mentioned in the key. Think carefully about yourchoice.

200 m

200 m

Reef

Reef

Swamp

S E A

Pre

vailin

g

win

ds M

angroves

Land over 200 m > 1,000,000 VT per hectare (red)

Road 100,00 to 1,000,000 VT per hectare(yellow)

Bush < 100,000 VT per hectare (blue)

Swamp Free land (green)

Mangroves Reef Each square = 1 hectare

N

50

Remember that expensive land is usually:

• in great demand by many people• at a route focus (e.g. a road junction)• difficult to build on, but has a good view of the sea• near the deepest water (for a port)• needed for shops and offices.

On the other hand, cheap land is usually:

• low-lying and subject to flooding• near noisy or smelly areas (e.g. the refuse dump)• in places where people don’t want to live• undeveloped land• owned by people who allow their relations and friends to

use it for little or no money.

d. Study the list of features below. Find out what each onemeans and then write its number only in any of the squareson your map where you think the activity may occur.

You may write the same number in several squares. You mayalso need to put several numbers in one square. Somesquares will have no numbers in them - this will mean theyhave not been developed in any way.

1. commercial2. port3. government offices4. schools5. factories6. parks7. football fields8. flats above shops and offices9. tall blocks of flats and apartments10. ordinary houses11. expensive houses with large gardens12. sewage works or refuse dump13. squatter shacks14. shopping centre out of the main centre of the town.

e. Now that you have filled in the numbers in some of thesquares, your town will show different types of land-use. Itis possible to group these even further into major zones ofactivity. To do this, write on these names on your map in themost suitable positions:

C.B.D.residentialindustrial

51

2. Make a copy of the simple town plan on page 46. Then explainwhat is meant by each of the following terms:

ribbon development encroachmentby-pass commuters

3. Draw a labelled diagram to show a typical multi-storey buildingthat might be found in the Central Business District of a city.

4. Zones of New York

(Refer to the map on page 47, and the photograph on page 6)

a. Explain why the buildings at the southern end of ManhattanIsland are so tall. (They are called “skyscrapers”)

b. Describe the location of the different zones of New York. Forexample, where is the C.B.D.? Where are the industrial/commercial zones? Which zone covers the greatest area?

5. Copy the chart on the following page into your exercise book andplace ticks (4) in the spaces where you think each particularfeature would occur. If you think that the feature might possiblybe found there, or occurs only sometimes, put a small tick (4).

52

Zones

Feature of urban life C.B.D. Industrial Residential Rural

high population density

low population density

buildings close together

buildings far apart

high cost of land

low cost of land

small gardens and little bush

large gardens and much bush

many large concrete buildings

multi-storey buildings

good roads with footpaths

poor roads with no footpaths

street lighting

much traffic

little traffic

several parks and sports fields

noisy, dusty and perhaps smelly

peaceful surroundings

roads often follow a planned

pattern

mostly homes for people

mostly places of work

places of entertainment(cinemas, restaurants, etc.)

few places of entertainment

single-storey buildings

electric power station

53

CHAPTER 8

URBANIZATION IN VANUATU

IntroductionUrbanization means the way in which more and more people are comingto live in towns.

A country which is “highly urbanized” is one in which most of its peoplelive in towns. Examples of such countries are Australia (where 86% of thepopulation live in towns) and Belgium (where 87% of the population livein towns).

The countries of the South Pacific are less urbanized than Australia orNew Zealand, but the percentage of urbanization is increasing rapidly.

In Vanuatu, approximately 18% of the population live in the two urbanareas of Port Vila and Luganville.

Population growth in Vanuatu

Month Port Vila Urban Total Urban pop. Total

and Area* Luganville Urban as a % of population

Year total pop.

May 1967 7,738 2,564 10,302 13.2 77,988

January 1979 14,598 5,183 19,781 17.8 111,251

May 1989 18,207 6,671 24,878 17.5 142,419

November 1999 29,356 10,738 40,094 21.5 186,678

“Port Vila Urban Area” includes Port Vila Municipal Council Area,Malapoa Reserve, and the plantations and villages close by.(See map, pg 56)

54

The growth of Port Vila

a. Distribution of population

Although Efate is the third largest island in Vanuatu, with an area of 923km2, it is only recently that it has had a large population. The sparesenessof the population, in fact, may have been one reason why large-scaleplantations developed in the Port Vila and Hanannah Harbour areas. Here,land could be obtained, and labourers could be introduced from the moredensely populated islands.

The areas of densest settlement on Efate are those which have always heldthe most people, that is, the area from Erakor around the west coast to thecoast and offshore islands of North Efate (see map on page 56).

One out of every six ni-Vanuatu is an urban dweller!

55

The smallest islands have been traditionally valuable settlement sites inVanuatu - because they were safer from attack and usually had fewermalaria-carrying mosquitoes. Around Efate, such islands are Erakor,Eratap, Ifira, Mele, Lelepa, Nguna, Pele, Kakoula and Emao. (The fourislands in italics are already deserted, and depopulation is occurring fromthe others to the mainland of Efate). The island of Moso has always had asmall population, due to a serious lack of water.

Eastern Efate has never had a dense population, and is unlikely to havelarge numbers in the future. Forari used to be a large settlement, butdeclined after the manganese mine closed in 1981.

A simple time-line for Efate (1879 to 1999)

b. Early settlement on Efate (Pre-European contact)

It is not known when Melanesian settlement first began on Efate, but thereis archaeological evidence to show that man was living there at least 1,000years ago. By the 12th century, there were several settlements in the westand north of Efate.

It also seems that several groups of Polynesians (Samoans and Tongans)arrived and lived among the Melanesians. The language of people fromIfira and Mele, for example, is different from that spoken in other parts ofEfate, but is similar to Samoan.

For many centuries, the only contact between most settlements, evenbetween those on the same island, was when they raided and fought eachother. Cannibalism was common.

About 1,000

New Hebridean

and 5

Europeans

Approx. 2,000

New Hebridean

and other

ethnic groups,

plus 119

Europeans

2,000

New Hebridean,

500 Europeans,

100 Chinese,

100 Tonkinese

Total pop. of

about 20,000,

of whom

15,600 were

New Hebridean

and 1,700 were

Europeans

1879 1894 1938 1979 1989 1999

Total pop.

24,360 people

22,643

ni-Vanuatu

Total pop.

186,678

people

56

Distribution of population for Efate, 1999

NGUNA

PELE EMAO

KAKOULA

MELE

Devel’sPoint

IFIRA

ERAKOR

MOSO

LELEPA

UndineBay

HavannahHarbour

ERATAP

N

Names of islands

Boundary of “Port Vila Urban Area”

Port Vila Municipal Council Area

Boundary of the daily commuter zone for Port Vila

Village

Large plantation

Malapoa Reserve

0 2 4 6 8 10 km

KEY

NGUNAIFIRA

57

c. Europeans settle on Efate

By the time the first sandalwooders, missionaries and traders landed onEfate in the early 1800’s, ni-Vanuatu villages and dispersed settlementswere scattered all around the island, but mostly occurred on the coast.

Samoan missionaries landed at Pango, Erakor and Havannah Harbour inthe 1840’s, and prepared the way for mission stations set up later on by thePresbyterian Church.

European traders first established themselves at Havannah Harbour,which became the main commercial centre of the New Hebrides from1860 to 1880. Plantations were developed here, first for cotton, then maizeand coffee, and finally coconuts. Hanannah Harbour also became animportant centre for ships recruiting labour for the sugar cane plantationsin Queensland. But because of droughts, hurricanes, disease and a shortageof plantation labour, the settlement at Havannah Harbour declined veryrapidly, and by 1879, the planters and traders had left.

d. Establishment of Vila

By the 1880’s, planters and traders began to settle in south-west Efate inthe area that is now Port Vila. The company C.C.N.H. (“CompagnieCaledonienne des Nouvelles-Hebrides”), which was based in Noumea,was able to acquire a lot of land from the people of Erakor and Ifira andset up plantations and a trading post.

The principal reasons for the establishment of Port Vila were:

1. It had a large natural harbour with deep water close to the land andgood shelter from the prevailing S.E. Trades

2. There was plenty of water available

3. A large fertile lowland, the Mele Plain, was close by and was suitablefor the development of plantations

4. It was easier to buy or acquire land here than it was in north Efate,where the villagers were more hostile.

Thus, Port Vila first grew up because it was a centre of French commercialand agricultural activity. Two huge plantations, called “Franceville” and“Framnais”, developed in the Vila-Mele area. Many French settlers, or“colons”, arrived from Noumea, and names such as Higginson, Klehm,Rodin and Frouin date from this time. With the help of C.C.N.H., theFrench colons brought in a lot of workers to run their plantations -New Hebrideans from others islands, people from other Pacific islands,and especially the Vietnamese (formerly known as “Tonkinese”).

58

By 1898, Port Vila consisted of a few houses along a rough track known asthe “Rud de Commerce” (now called “Lini Highway”). However, therewas no proper wharf or town. Two large stores dominated the settlement -C.C.N.H. and A.N.H. and Company (“Australasia New Hebrides andCompany”, afterwards known as “Burns Philp”). Port Vila’s hinterlandproduced bananas, coffee, copra, cocoa, vanilla and maize, all of whichwere shipped out each month by two steamers - one to Noumea and theother to Sydney.

e. Growth from 1898 to 1939

During the early years of the 20th century, Port Vila was confined to a smallarea around the just north of the present Central Business District. Thetown could not grow southwards because of the Colardeau Plantation.

When the Anglo-French Condominium was set up in 1906, Port Vilabecame the seat of “government” for the New Hebrides.

By the 1920’s, the settlement consisted of stores, private houses, the HotelReid (now the “Rossi Restaurant”), two government headquarters (knownas the British and French Residencies), warehouses, and two coffeeprocessing factories (one of which gave its name to the part of Port Vilaknown as “Melcoffee”).

The early growth of Port Vila

Residential areas

Mission land

French Government

Condominium Gov.

British Gov.

Workshops

Commercial zone

Road

1902 1913

0 100 200 300 400 500 m

N

59

f. Port Vila during and after World War II

The real growth of Port Vila only began during the Second World War. In1942, large numbers of American troops arrived in Efate. Until theymoved to Santo, they made Havannah Harbour their main base, but builtroads, warehouses, workshops and camps in Port Vila. They built amilitary hospital on the present site of Malapoa College, and constructedbase camps and rest areas at Nambatu and Nambatri.

The last remaining wartime building, Ballande Store, was pulled down in1987.

The photograph above was taken looking northwards from oppositeC.F.N.H. Store (later called Ballande Store). Notice the American soldiers.The seashore is just to the left of the picture.

Another photograph of Port Vila during the Second World War is shownon the following page. The old post office and C.F.N.H. Store are in theupper right of the picture. The houses in the foreground are where theConstitution Building and General Store are situated today. Notice themany jetties that come right up to the main road; today, all this shorelinehas been reclaimed.

Port Vila’s main street in 1942

60

Until 1959, most buildings in Port Vila were constructed of wood and iron,but in that year a hurricane destroyed many of these flimsy structures.Subsequently, a building “boom” began in Port Vila, most of it in concreteblock.

Ten years later a further building boom began, and it was then that most ofthe multi-story buildings began to appear. Much of this development wasdue to Port Vila’s growth as a tax haven (a place where foreign businessfirms can operate without having to pay taxes).

A new deep-water wharf was constructed in 1972. This enabled ocean-going vessels to load and unload their cargoes directly from or to the land,instead of having to anchor in the harbour and trans-ship all the cargo onto smaller lighters. The result was a great increase in the volume ofoverseas trade.

g. Port Vila today

Today, Port Vila is the capital of the independent republic of Vanuatu, theseat of government and by far the largest town. In 1986, Port Vila UrbanArea had an estimated population of 19,200. It is the main port of entry tothe country by both sea and air.

The Port Vila Municipal Council has been in operation since 1976. Thisbody has been responsible for many improvements to the town, such asnew roads and footpaths, street lighting, town wardens, traffic signs andgeneral cleanliness.

View of Port Vila in 1942, looking towards Malapoa

61

Port Vila is the largest commercial centre in Vanuatu. Its port handles thegreatest tonnage of shipping, although Luganville earns more through itsbigger exports of copra, meat and cocoa. It has 9 commercial banks, 6 trustcompanies, 5 accounting firms and 6 legal firms. There are 3 largesupermarkets and a great variety of smaller stores and specialist shops -more than in any other South Pacific town of comparable size. Forentertainment, there are 11 hotels and motels, 22 restaurants and snackbars, several night clubs and a cinema. Port Vila has a large hospital,several private doctors, three secondary schools and several institutionsoffering education at tertiary level (U.S.P. Emalus Campus, Institute ofTechnology, Vanuatu Teachers College, School of Nursing, etc.)

Port Vila is the principal tourist centre in the country. In 1997, around46,605 visitors arrived by air at Bauerfield airport, and by cruise ship.Port Vila, in fact, is now the second most important port-of-call for cruiseships in the whole of the Pacific (after Honolulu). Income from tourism isestimated to be one of Vanuatu’s largest sources of revenue, and theindustry gives work to a lot of people in the Port Vila area.

Recent signs of Port Vila’s increasing importance are the construction ofnew multi-storey office blocks in the centre of the town - such as “RaffeaHouse”, and “Basilea Building” - and the establishment in Port Vila of thePacific headquarters of such international organizations as ESCAP and theAsian Development Bank.

Port Vila is an important town, with good transport facilities, bankingservices and labour supply. However, its manufacturing industries aresmall in number. Most industries are concerned with the making of foodand drink - for example, bread, ice-cream, soft drinks and canned meat.Other secondary industries include the manufacture of jewellery, trochusshell products, concrete blocks and furniture. By far the greatest number ofpeople in Port Vila are employed in tertiary or service industries,particularly in government, commerce and tourism.

Although by world standards Port Vila is very small and has few urbanproblems, town planning is still necessary. The Municipal Council hasalready started to plan the future development of Port Vila according tofive zones. For example, all industrial development will be confined totwo main areas - around Tagabe, and along the south shore of Port VilaBay; similarly, only high-cost housing may now be built along the shoresof Ekasuvat Lagoon. Recent planned developments have been the low-costhousing estate at Freswota, and the reclaiming of the waterfront betweenthe Rossi Restaurant and BP Wharf.

62

In February 1987, Port Vila experienced hurricane “Uma”, one of theworst cyclones in living memory. Almost every building was damaged ordestroyed, and several businesses were forced to close down. Tourism wasseriously affected for several months.

Port Vila in 1999

BLACKSANDS

BAUER-FIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

OHLEN

MANPLES

ANABROUFRESH WOTA Municipal Boundary

MALAPOA MELCOFE

PORT VILA BAY

Ifririki Island

Ifira Island

Main Wharf

EM

TEN LA

GO

ON

Parliament

Hospital

SEASIDE

Pango

Erakor Island

CHAMPAGNE

STADE

National Sports Stadium

TASSIRIKICENTRE

NAMBATU

EK

AS

UVAT L

AG

OO

N

NAMBATRI

Erakor 100 Ha

TAGABE

TEBAKOR

63

Can you find the following on the aerial photo above: the CentralHospital, three big hotels, the Main Wharf, the village of Erakor and IririkiIsland?

Aerial photograph of the southern part of Port Vila, taken in 1986

64

Port Vila Municipal Council Area, 1984

M. 1000 500 0

0 1 2 3 km

KEY

Boundary of VilaMunicipality (MunicipalCouncil Area)

65

Aerial photo of Port Vila’s central business district, taken in 1982

66Tourist map of Central Port Vila

1

23

84

6

5

7

10

9 11

12

13

1514

19

16

17

18

21

22

20

23

24

25

26

27

28

29 3

031

32

43

35

33

34

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

36

67

Specialist shops in “Olympic Court”, Port Vila

Looking north along Lini Highway, Port Vila

68

The growth of Luganville

a. Early growth

Luganville is a very recent town. Like Port Vila, it began as a Europeantrading center, and was not built on the site of a New Hebridean village.

The settlement was first established around one hundred years ago near themouth of the Sarakata River on the northern side of the Segon Canal,which is a deep-water channel separating the islands of Aore and EspirituSanto. Large ocean-going ships could sail up the Segon Canal and find asafe, sheltered anchorage.

Luganville, which is also known as “Santo”, or “Canal”, remained only avery small settlement until World War II. For many years, it wasessentially a small service centre that provided trading and other facilitiesfor the surrounding French-owned copra plantations, the New Hebrideanvillages along the south and east coasts of Espiritu Santo, and villages onneighbouring islands such as Malo and Ambae. The population numberedonly a few hundred and consisted almost entirely of Europeans (mostlyFrench), with a few New Hebridean servants.

At this time, Luganville had no land communications. Travel to the rest ofEspiritu Santo island was only possible by small ship. The onlyadministrative building in the settlement was the French District Agency atSt. Michel. The British District Agency was located at Hog Harbour.

b. Luganville during World War II

When the Second World War began in 1939, the Japanese set out to“conquer the Pacific”. By 1941 - 2, they had spread through South EastAsia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and much of Micronesia.The United States of America, determined to stop the Japanese expansion,decided to set up a major military base at Luganville. American troops,money and equipment poured into the tiny settlement, and construction ofthe base began in 1941.

The Americans changed Luganville completely. They built 3 large air-strips for bombers, and one of these, Pekoa, is still used today. Theydrained marshes along the coast, and built wharves and very wide roads.They built many quonset huts, using corrugated iron, to house all thetroops.

69

The following description of wartime Luganville was written by anAmerican author who was stationed there for a while:

“In the early stages of the War, Luganville was the USA’s biggest base. In1942, we landed ships at the edge of jungle so dense that it invaded landwhich was uncovered at low tide. In two months we had a flourishing citythat soon grew to a population of 100,000. I say “city” because Luganvillehad more public services than many American cities - a telephone systemwith seven exchanges, a superb teletype network, a radio station, miles offine roads, 43 cinemas, a PX department store, industrial workshops of alldescriptions, an optical laboratory, 4 huge hospitals and a mammoth steamlaundry…”

(See page 180 of “Return to Paradise” by James A. Michener, published byCorgi Books in 1951).

70

The p

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show

s Luganville

in 1

942. N

otice

the A

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.

71

c. Luganville after the Second World War

At the end of the Second World War, the Americans left Luganville, andthe facilities they had built fell into disuse. It would have cost too muchmoney to keep most of them operating. Heavy equipment that could not betaken away easily was driven to “Million Dollar Point” and simply pushedinto the Segond Canal.

The troopship “President Coolidge” sinking in theSegond Canal after hitting a mine, October 25th 1942

72

Luganville continued to act as a trading centre, however. Plantationsexpanded on the islands of Espiritu Santo, Aore and Malo, with the help offoreign labour recruited from Vietnam (the “Tonkinese”) and other Pacificislands (especially people from Kiribati). Chinese traders establishedstores in the town, and the British District Agency was moved there fromHog Harbour. New hebrideans migrated to Luganville looking for work,and found accommodation in the old quonset huts left over from the War.A new wharf was built in 1958.

Luganville developed rapidly in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It became thecountry’s leading port from the export of copra, frozen fish, cocoa andmeat, with a hinterland covering the northern and central islands of thecountry. It was considered as the “economic capital” of the New Hebrides.

The Municipal Council was established in 1976. Soon afterwards, a finenew town hall was constructed to serve as the Council’s headquarters;next to it was built a large covered market, to be used by people fromdistant villages who come to sell their produce in the town.

In 1979, Luganville had a population of 5,183. It had factories for canningmeat and making coconut oil, six hotels, several good restaurants and agrowing tourist industry.

Then, just before Independence, came the “Santo Rebellion”. In May1980, members of “nagriamal” and other opposition groups took control ofLuganville, Pekoa airport and the radio station, and declared that EspirituSanto was now the independent state of Vemarana. The New HebridesGovernment blockaded the port of Luganville, and all imports and exportswere stopped. Eventually law and order were restored with the help oftroops from Papua New Guinea. However, great physical damage wasdone to the town, and many people left or were deported (especiallyEuropeans and Pacific islanders).

73

Distribution of population on Espiritu Santo, 1979.

TUTUBA

LATHU

THION

SAKAU

Cap Cumberland

Big Bay

Cap Queiros

LATARO

Hog. Harbour

LATAROA

MAVEA

AESE

Palekula

AORE

MALO

TANGOAARAKI

PicSanto

Tabwemasana

KEY

Principal village

Large plantations

Names of islands

Luganville Municipal Council Area

Mountain*

0 5 10 15 20 km

*

*

74

d. Luganville today

Luganville extends for approximately 8 km along the northern shore of theSegond Canal. It is a very spread-out and sprawling town. Its lay-out stillfollows the street plan set out by the Americans, but only a few thousandpeople live in a town built for 100,000 troops.

The town has not yet recovered from the effects of the 1980 rebellion. InJanuary 1986, the population was 5,621 - just a few hundred more than in1979. Most people are employed in service or tertiary industry (forexample, working for the Vanuatu government, or labouring at the wharf).Some work in food processing industries such as the biscuit factory andthe abattoir. But there is hardly any secondary industry, and employmentopportunities are very limited. Only three hotels are presently operating,and there is little tourist activity. Just one or two cruise ships call thereeach year.

Luganville is still Vanuatu’s most important port for exports, and there aresigns that the production of copra and cattle on Santo island are starting toincrease again. With the help of agricultural projects such as the “SouthSanto Cattle Project”, and the establishment of more secondary industry,the town of Luganville should continue to revive in the future. TheMunicipal Council has made plans for the future development of the town,including a low-cost housing area and an industrial zone.

75

Even though this photograph was taken in 1999, there have not been manychanges since then. Can you find the Sarakata River, the Hospital, theMain Wharf, Unity Park, the old American camp of Mango?

Aerial photograph of Luganville in 1990

76

Tourist plan of Luganville

77

ACTIVITIES

1. Invite a resident of Port Vila or Luganville to give a talk to yourclass on “What it is like to live in Port Vila/Luganville”.

2. Write a short essay about either Port Vila or Luganville, includinga sketch map to show all the places you have mentioned in youraccount.

3. Study the following advertisement for a job, and then answerquestions a. to f. below:

Customs Officer Class II

The Vanuatu Government wishes to recruit a Customs OfficerClass II for the Customs Department in Port Vila.

Applicants should:

• have the Vanuatu Year 10 Leaving Certificate, or Brevetd’Enseignement du Premier Cycle, or have successfullycompleted 4 years service in the Customs Department.

• speak English or French correctly and have a goodknowledge of the other language. A knowledge ofBislama is essential.

• hold a current driving licence.

The salary scale for this post is P.3 (375,600 VT per year,rising to 390,720 VT per year). No accommodation can beprovided.

Applications should be sent to the Director of Public Servicenot later than 5th December 1997. Applicants should encloseevidence of their qualifications.

Imagine that you apply for the job from an outer island of Vanuatu,and are successful. Imagine also that you are married and that yourwife/husband and two children come with you to in Port Vila.

a. Describe some of the problems that you and your family will haveto face as you make your new home in Port Vila, a town in whichyou have never lived before.

b. How much money will you expect to receive after your firstmonth’s work?

c. Make a detailed budget for you and your family for spendingyour first month’s salary. Say how much you will spend on food,rent and other necessary items.

78

d. What conflicts or differences of opinion might you have with yourwife/husband regarding how the money is to be spent?

e. What things will be very much more expensive in Port Vila thanthey were in your home village?

f. Many people in the outer islands hear of high salaries and wagesoffered to people working in Port Vila. Because of this, theybelieve that everyone living in Port Vila is very wealthy. Do youthink that this is true?

4. Draw line graphs to show the population growth of Port Vila,Luganville and Vanuatu between 1967 and 1999. Use theinformation in the table on page 53.

Note: You should draw the three lines on the same graph, butuse a different colour for each.

5. Study the two population pyramids on the following page,which are for Efate Rural Area and for Port Vila MunicipalCouncil Area and answer these questions:

a. What do you think is meant by “Efate Rural Area”?

b. To what year do the population pyramids refer?

c. How many men aged 45 - 49 years were living in EfateRural Area?

d. How many girls aged 10 - 14 years were living in Port VilaMunicipal Council Area?

e. Compare the numbers of people aged 20 - 39 years in thetwo pyramids. What do you notice? Why does this differenceoccur?

f. Describe and explain the difference between the number ofold people in the two areas.

79

Ages for the Population of Port Vila in 1989

Age Male Female

65+ 151 12060 - 64 104 73

55 - 59 173 117

50 - 54 206 13145 - 49 390 239

40 - 44 498 331

35 - 39 798 52030 - 34 829 858

25 - 29 1 180 1 060

20 - 24 1 190 1 13015 - 19 1 066 1 117

10 - 14 918 883

05 - 09 1 012 9150 - 04 1 460 1 435

Total 9 975 8 930

Ages for the Population of Rural Efate in 1999

80

6. Map-work

Make a tracing of the buildings, roads and waterfront from theaerial photograph on page 65. Then colour and name as many ofthe buildings and features as you can, using the map of CentralPort Vila on page 66.

7. For discussion:

a. “Living in Port Vila or Luganville is better than living in theouter islands!”

b. “It would be better to decentralize some of the activitiesnow carried out in Port Vila and Luganville, and to developa small town in each Local Government Region.”

8. Describe the scene shown in the photograph of Kumul Highway,Vila on page 67. Mention at least 3 features of urban life that youcan see.

Extra tasks

9. Urban fieldwork (Choose one exercise)

a. Land-Use SurveyDraw or trace a map of part of Port Vila or Luganville. Thengo and find out how all the land on your map is being used.Distinguish between residential areas, factories, schools,gardens, parks, waste land, offices, shops, etc. Use adifferent colour to show each type of land use.

b. Commercial Survey of the C.B.D. of Port Vila or LuganvilleDraw a map to show the different types of shop, business, oradministrative building that are present in the C.B.D. Forexample, you could show al large department stores in red,restaurants and cafes in blue, specialist shops in green,banks in yellow, private houses in black, etc. If a building isused for several purposes, e.g. private residence/shop, showthe colours in stripes.

You could also draw a map showing the number of storeys ineach building.

81

c. Traffic SurveyStand at a particular point on a street and count the numberof vehicles that pass you during 1 hour. If different membersof the class stand at different points, you will be able tobuild up an interesting picture. The exercise can be repeatedat a different time of day for comparison.

Results can be shown in the form of a flow diagram, wherethe width of each arrow represents the number of vehicles.See example on the following page.

d. Survey of reasons for the drift to the townInterview at least 5 families. Find out why they have come tolive in the town, where they came from, and what difficultiesthey have found. Write up your findings in the form of atable.

82

Example of a Traffic Survey

Results of a traffic survey that was conducted bystudents of Form 3B at Malapoa College during 1979.The flow-chart shows the total number of vehiclespassing points in the Tebakor area between 1 - 30 p.m.and 2 - 2.30 p.m. on 18th October 1979. Other flow-charts were drawn for each of the different types ofvehicle (cars, buses, motorbikes, etc.) and forpedestrians. Students stood at points A - J.

The width of each of arrow shows the number ofvehicles in the hour. (1 cm corresponds to 100 vehicles)

To BauefieldTo M

ala

poa

B

A

I H G

E

C

F

D

J

To Vila

83

CHAPTER 9

URBANIZATION IN THEWORLD TODAY

People who live in towns and cities make up the urban population. Theworld’s population has been increasing very rapidly, but the number ofpeople living in towns is growing even faster!

In 1950, it was found that 30% of all the people in the world were living intowns and cities. In the year 2000, it is estimated that this percentage willhave risen to 51%!!

Growth of world population

Towns and cities are growing most rapidly in the poorer, or developing,countries of the world, such as those in Africa, South America and Asia. Inthese countries, the population is growing so rapidly in rural areas thatmore and more people are short of food and land; these people thenmigrate to the towns in search of what they think will be a better life.

In 1950, there were 7 cities with more than 5 million inhabitants. In 1984,there were 34. By the year 2025, in only 37 years’ time, it is expected that93 cities in the world will have over 5 million inhabitants. 80 of these willbe in the developing countries.

The fastest-growing city in the world is Nouakchott, in Mauritania, NorthAfrica. This city was 43 times bigger in 1982 than it was in 1965!

4,800 million

Urban

Rural

2,800 million

42%

6,200 million

51%

1950 1960 1970 1980 1986 1990 2000

84

The World’s largest cities

Estimated population in millionsCity Country

1984 2025

Baghdad Iraq 5 18Bangkok Thailand 5 18

Beijing (Peking) China 10 18

Bombay India 8 25Buenos Aires Argentina 11 13

Cairo Egypt 7 25

Calcutta India 11 25Chicago U.S.A. 5 8

Delhi India 7 25

Hong Kong Hong Kong 5 6Istanbul Turkey 5 18

Jakarta Indonesia 8 25

Karachi Pakistan 7 25Lagos Nigeria 5 25

Leningrad U.S.S.R. 5 8

Lima Peru 5 13London U.K. 10 10

Los Angeles U.S.A. 10 13

Madras India 5 13Madrid Spain 5 8

Manila Philippines 6 18

Mexico City Mexico 16 32Moscow U.S.S.R. 9 13

New York U.S.A. 15 18

Osaka/Kobe Japan 5 8Paris France 9 9

Rhein-Ruhr West Germany 8 8

Rio de Janeiro Brazil 10 18Sao Paulo Brazil 16 25

Seoul South Korea 6 10

Shanghai China 12 25Tehran Iran 6 18

Tientsin China 5 18

Tokyo/Yokohama Japan 17 20

(Source: “National Geographic”, August 1984)

The expanding cities in Africa, South America and Asia are facingenormous problems. As migrants pour in to cities like Lagos, Sao Paulo,Calcutta and Jakarta, they must find somewhere to live. Shanty towns, orsquatter settlements, grow up on the edge of the city, and the city itself getsbigger and bigger. The example on the following page shows the growth ofsquatter settlements in Lima, Peru.

85

Living conditions in these shanty towns are often terrible. Homes are builtout of scrap materials. There is no clean drinking water, proper sanitationor electricity. Poverty, disease and crime increase. At the same time,people from the shanty towns get poorly-paid jobs in the city doingessential services like cleaning, driving and rubbish collection. Thissituation is show in the cartoon below.

These are other problems facing the rapidly expanding cities of thedeveloping world - great traffic jams, a lot of unemployment, the regularfailure of electricity and water services, overcrowded schools andhospitals, and very high prices for food and fuel. As the cities get bigger,these problems will get worse.

Hills

Urban Area

Squatter

Settlements

0 5 10 km

LIMA1957 1977

86

Squatter settlement, Bombay, India

School children wearing cloth masks as aprotection against air pollution, Tokyo, Japan

87

ACTIVITIES

1. On an outline map of the world, show all the cities listed in thetable on page 84. Mark each city by a dot ( ) and print its nameor initial letter carefully alongside. Put a small circle around thedot ( ) if the city’s population is expected to double or morethan double in the next 40 years.

2. Draw a bar chart to illustrate the fourth paragraph on page 83.

3. Describe the growth of Lima, as shown in the maps on page 85.

4. “The world’s population is becoming increasingly urbanized”.

Write one paragraph to explain what this statement means. Writea second paragraph to explain why it is happening. Write a thirdparagraph in which you say whether it is a good thing or a badthing.

Extra task

5. Prepare a wall chart containing pictures, maps, diagrams and awritten article on any two of the cities listed in the table onpage 84. This may be done as a group project.

88

APPENDIX A REVISION TESTTIME: 45 MIN.

• Write your answers in your exercise book or on special paper.

• Trace a copy of the map on page 90 and answer question 7 on yourown copy.

************************************************************

1. Define the following and give an actual example of each:

a. amenities c. tax havenb. urbanization d. grid-iron street pattern (8)

2. Draw a labelled diagram of the kind of building that is normallyfound in the Central Business District of a large city. (2)

3. Describe two differences between a town and a village. (2)

4. Describe two problems of living in towns and give an actualexample of each. (4)

5. Explain two “pull” factors that cause rural-urban migration toPacific towns. (4)

6. Name the world’s three largest cities, and give theirapproximate population. (2)

7. On page 90, there is a map of an imaginary town known asMissimae.Answer questions a. to d. below. (Use your own copy of the map.)

a. Draw these three underlined features on the map, using thesymbols indicated:

The Central Business District of Missimae ( ) is a

circular zone about 1 km wide centred on the main roadjunction.The village of Manples ( ) is situated approximately

3½ km due south of the village of Saro, and is connected withSaro by a winding track ( ) (2)

b. Now put these letters in the following places on the map:

R in two areas where ribbon development can be found

H in the place where a high-cost residential estate might occur

I in the area where you might find an industrial zone situatedclose to the port. (3)

89

c. Shade ( ) on the map an area in which the town ofMissimae is likely to encroach rapidly into the countryside in thefuture. (1)

d. Explain why many of the inhabitants of Saro will be commuters,while those of Manples will not. (2)

( 30 )

90

0 1 2 3 4 km

KEY

SARO

Banana Bay

Pre

vaili

ng w

inds

NATIONALPARK

Lake

River Retu

contour lines at 50 metre intervals road

marshland boundary of the built-up area

boundary of the national park reef

village

Missimae

91

APPENDIX B GLOSSARY(Note: the meanings given below are for the words as they are used in

this booklet. You may also find other meanings in yourdictionary.)

administration system of government

alluvial deposited by a river when it is in flood

amenities things that make life more pleasant

apartment block building containing several rented rooms, or “flats”

aqueduct raised channel for carrying water, usually made ofstones

by-pass road built to avoid the congested part of a town orcity

causeway raised road across marshland or area of water

central businessdistrict (C.B.D.) central part of a town or city where

most of the commercial activities are located

city state area controlled by one city that includes both thecity and the farmland around it; the area has itsown laws and is in fact a separate country

civilization living in an advanced stage of development(original meaning - “living in a town”)

commercial connected with the buying and selling of goods

communications ways in which people get from one place to another

commute travel daily to another place for work, and thenreturn home again to sleep

congested overcrowded, or crowded together

dazzling so bright that the light hurts your eyes

decentralize to move something outwards from a central place

democracy system of government in which people elect theirown leaders and make their own laws

depopulation loss of people from an area

deport to send a person away from a country, and notallow him to return

92

developing country one of the poorer countries in the world;sometimes called a “Third World” country

dispersed settlement one or two dwellings only, separated from otherdwellings by several hundred metres, or severalkilometres

encroach take over an area that does not really belong toyou

expatriate person living outside his own country

flimsy thin and easily destroyed

function kind of activity being carried out

green belt area or belt around a town in which no buildingis allowed; the land remains as farmland, forestor parkland

grid-iron pattern streets meeting each other at right angles

hinterland the area around a town, or the area that a townserves

illegitimate child child whose mother and father are not married

industrial revolution change in the method of making things - use ofmachines in factories rather than human labourin a home; this change started in Europe inabout 1750

industrial zone area where there are a lot of factories andindustries; also includes the port area

leisure time when you are free and do not have to work

makeshift houses temporary houses built out of any availablematerials

metropolis chief city of a country

multi-racial society people belonging to several different ethnicgroups or races

multi-storey building building with more than two floors or levels

nucleated settlement dwellings are grouped together to form a villageor town

port town or settlement that grows up around a goodharbour

prevailing winds winds that blow for most of the time

93

pull factor feature of town life that is very attractive andmakes you want to go and live there

push factor something that makes you want to leave a ruralarea because of the difficulties you are facingthere

quonset hut long hut with a semi-circular roof, make ofcorrugate iron

reclaim bring into a useful condition

refuse dump special place where household rubbish andindustrial waste is thrown

rent regular payment of money to a person for the useof his house, room or land

residential estate area of widely-spaced, high-cost, private housing

residential zone area where people live and sleep

revenue income received by a country or a large company

ribbon development when a town, or a zone of a town, grows out in anarrow strip along a main road

route focus place where several different lines ofcommunication meet together

rural area anywhere that is outside a town or city

rural-urban drift slow, steady migration of people from villagesand rural areas to the towns

sanitation method of removing waste or rubbish

service centre place that provides services and amenities for awide area around it (e.g. shops, banks,mechanical repairs)

settlement place where people live

sewage disposalsystem method of removing human waste from a

building

site place where a village or town starts to grow up

slums (shanty towns) overcrowded, dirty housing

social services things that must be provided for a community ofpeople, such as education, health care andhousing

94

specialist shop shop that sells only one or two kinds of article, e.g.a clothing shop, a camera shop

sprawling spread out over a wide area

squatter person who lives on another person’s land withoutpermission

suburb outer part of a town or urban area

surplus extra amount

tax haven place where foreign business firms can operatewithout having to pay any taxes

temple place of worship

temporary very short time

theatre building where plays or concerts are performed

town planning making plans for the future development of atown, e.g. dividing it into well-marked zone

two-storey building building with two floors or levels

unemployed not having a job

unpaved no proper tar-sealed surface

unskilled no special training or ability

urban area town or city

urbanization the way that more and more people are coming tolive in towns

zone distinct area, or belt, that is different in some wayto other areas or belts.