Sanma is a province located in the Northern part of the nation of

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

, occupying the nation's largest

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...

, which is located approximately 2,500 km northeast of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

The name Sanma is derived from the initial letters of the main islands of (Espiritu) SANto and MA lo.

Population

It has a population of 45,8602009 Census Summary release final
- Government of Vanuatu and an area of 4,248 km². The provincial capital is

Luganville Luganville is the second largest city in Vanuatu after the capital Port Vila; it is located on the island of Espiritu Santo and has a population of 18,062 as of the 2020 census. Those on Vanuatu's northern islands who regard Luganville as their b ...

. Other centers of population include

Hog Harbour Hog Harbour is a village in the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. It is located in northeast Santo, in close proximity to Port Olry village. History The village is a strong base of Presbyterian Church. In 1897, Dr Bowie, who was then a Scot ...

Port Olry {{Infobox settlement , name = Port Olry , other_name = Saint Anne , native_name = , settlement_type = Village , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , pus ...

, Nakere, Ipaiato, Tasiriki, Tasmate and

Malao Malao ( grc, Μαλαὼ) was an ancient proto-Somali port in present-day Somaliland. The town was situated on the site of what later became the city of Berbera. It was a key trading member involved in the Red Sea-Indian Ocean commerce in the ea ...

. Sanma Provincial Day falls on 23 September annually. All Sanma Citizens including friends celebrate this special occasion wherever they are domestically or internationally.

Overview

Sanma provincial council is responsible for running the daily affairs of the province. The council is elected every four years, the party which has the vast majority of seats sets up the provincial government. The head of the provincial government is the President of Sanma province. The headquarters of the province is located in the town centre of Luganville. Critics had blamed the provincial government for ill management of the provincial affairs during the past few years. For example, over the last few years, poor management had culminated in a considerable amount of litigations. This has therefore cost the council a fortune as regards legal fees. One of the avowed aims of this recent council at Sanma province is to ensure transparency, and

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...

Islands

References

Provinces of Vanuatu States and territories established in 1994 {{Vanuatu-geo-stub