Port Olry is a small

Francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

village on the island of

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 ...

in the

Sanma Province Sanma is a province located in the Northern part of the nation of Vanuatu, occupying the nation's largest island, Espiritu Santo, which is located approximately 2,500 km northeast of Sydney, Australia. The name Sanma is derived from the ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

, with a population of 1,300, as estimated in 2009. Known for its verdant green hills, crystal clear waters and white sand beaches, the village of Port Olry offers tourists access to two local nature reserve islands, via an underwater sandbar traversed at low tide. Port Olry has a large

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

population, and is home to a Catholic

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

. In 1998, Port Olry was hit hard by Tropical Cyclone Zuman, but it has since recovered, and living standards and amenities have noticeably improved in the village.

Economy

The local economy is heavily dependent on fishing, a traditional male role, while many females find work gardening. Port Olry produces

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

copra Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...

, and

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

. The economy is male-centric, women are usually not given a say in typical daily business deals, and rely on their husbands. Port Olry's standard of living has improved since 2009, and citizens now enjoy electricity, tar-sealed roads, improved healthcare (a renovated health centre with new facilities), commercial bank access (NBV - Vanuatu's own bank branch), a new post office branch, a renovation for its secondary school, new restaurants, bungalows along the beach, and more retail shops. Transportation to

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 ...

, the largest town in the area, is usually done by taxi and bus. However, locals often hitchhike on trucks travelling to the town, typically loaded with bags of copra and other market products.

Education

Education in the village follows the French system. Parents usually send their children to the village schools, Saint Anne Primary and Saint Anne Secondary. Children who perform well in their Year 6 examinations can pursue their secondary studies in Saint Anne's branch, or choose to attend other schools around Luganville, Sanma Province, and even schools in other parts of the country. A lot of Port Olry children earn higher education qualifications (Year 14 certificates, Year 13, 12, 10), and a few earn bachelor's degrees from the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...

, with campuses in

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

, and

Port Vila Port Vila ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the island of Efate, in Shefa Province. The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census. In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the ...

, Vanuatu's capital.

Cyclone Zuman

In 1998, Tropical Cyclone Zuman hit Vanuatu. On Espiritu Santo Island, over 100 buildings were destroyed or damaged, and an estimated 60-70% of crops were destroyed. Port Orly was hit hard, with 95% of buildings and gardens reporting some sort of damage. As part of the relief effort, the town was donated 50

tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinf ...

s to provide shelter for those affected by the disaster.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Vanuatu Sanma Province