A powerful earthquake struck yesterday shaking buildings in the capital for about 15 seconds, but did not appear to have caused significant damage and people were evacuated to higher ground. No injuries, no damages. Vanuatu,” Happiest place on earth”.

VANUATU HAPPIEST COUNTRY ON EARTH AGAIN

Posted on 01. Aug, 2010 by LynThomas in Travel Guide

Lonely Planet released its latest travel guide list of the world’s happiest places. Topping the list is the 80 tropical island archipelago of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific island, while Montreal in Quebec holds second place.

Lonely Planet said it was not surprised that Vanuatu emerged as the happiest place, because the general idea of a happy life, has images of a hammock in a white-sand beach. Vanuatu is known for its blue waters teeming with life, lush vegetation and scenic environment. This and more is reflected in the happy smiles of the local Ni-Vanuatu people.

Lonely Planet’s travel guide pointed out Montreal is considered a happy city because it hosts Just for Laughs, which is one of the world’s biggest comedy festivals during summer. Lonely Planet said the Quebec city is also clean, welcoming and multicultural.

The travel guide said other happy cities could be found in Wuyi Shan in China and Malawi in Africa. Wuyi Shan is described as a place of secret valleys with waterfalls and mysterious caves. Malawi is known for greeting visitors with effusive grins.

In 2009, Forbes.com named Rio de Janiero in Brazil as the world’s happiest city, followed by Sydney in Australia.

In 2006 Vanuatu was named the happiest place on earth on the Happy Planet Index. The survey, compiled by the New Economics Foundation and the Friends of the Earth, said Vanuatu, with a population of just 209,000, came out on top because its people are happy, live to nearly 70 years of age and do little damage to the planet.

Vanuatu was followed by ten Latin American and Caribbean countries, all ranked according to their ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life expectancy.

The Happy Planet Index was compiled to prove that people can live long, happy lives without consuming large amounts of the Earth’s resources. Though living standards in the West may have improved dramatically over the past 50 years, it does not mean that people are any happier.

Although Vanuatu topped the happiness index, it ranked 207th out of 233 economies, when measured against Gross Domestic Product and is classed as a Developing Nation.

Many now consider Vanuatu as the best kept secret of the South Pacific islands.