 New Hebrides ° Vanuatu

The first postal services to Vanuatu, then called the New Hebrides were provided in the 1880s by Australian and French steamer lines connecting the New Hebrides to Sydney, Australia and Nouméa, New Caledonia. Stamps of New South Wales were used from 1888 and a New South Wales post office was set up in 1892. A New Caledonia post office was set up in 1903 using the stamps of New Caledonia. The stamps of New South Wales and New Caledonia were superseded by the first issues of the condominium of the New Hebrides in 1908. Vanuatu has issued stamps since 1980 and continued the New Hebrides tradition of English and French versions of identical design, the difference being the language used. Subsequent issues in 1980 and 1981, are bi-lingual. Since 1982, only English is used. The issues of Vanuatu are a blend of issues with themes of national interest and themes aimed at the thematic collectors market. [source: StampWorldHistory]