Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
21 30 S, 165 30 E
Oceania
total: 19,060 sq km ; land: 18,575 sq km ; water: 485 sq km
slightly smaller than New Jersey
0 km
2,254 km
territorial sea: 12 nm ; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
coastal plains with interior mountains
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m ; highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m
nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
arable land: 0.32% ; permanent crops: 0.22% ; other: 99.46% (2005)
100 sq km (2003)


cyclones, most frequent from November to March
erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls
221,943 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 31,578/female 30,270) ; 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 72,821/female 72,109) ; 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 7,047/female 8,118) (2007 est.)
total: 28.1 years ; male: 27.7 years ; female: 28.5 years (2007 est.)
1.203% (2007 est.)
17.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population ; note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.868 male(s)/female ; total population: 1.009 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 7.42 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 8.12 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 74.5 years ; male: 71.52 years ; female: 77.63 years (2007 est.)
2.25 children born/woman (2007 est.)
NA
NA
NA
noun: New Caledonian(s) ; adjective: New Caledonian
Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3%
Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%
French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 96.2% ; male: 96.8% ; female: 95.5% (1996 census)


conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies ; conventional short form: New Caledonia ; local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances ; local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie
NA
name: Noumea ; geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E ; time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Province des Iles, Province Nord, and Province Sud

none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since 9 November 2007) ; head of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since 7 August 2007) ; cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress ; elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress for a five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 7 August 2007 when Harold MARTIN was elected following the resignation of Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU as president on 24 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres du territoire (54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) ; elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held in 2009) ; election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3 ; note: New Caledonia currently holds one seat in the French Senate; by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held on June 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court
Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caledonian Union or UC; Federation des Comites de Coordination des Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independence) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO]
NA
ITUC, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO
the flag of France is used
none (overseas territory of France)
none (overseas territory of France)
territorial collectivity of France since 1998




New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than 15% of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years.
$3.158 billion (2003 est.)
$3.3 billion (2003 est.)
NA%
$15,000 (2003 est.)
agriculture: 15% ; industry: 8.8% ; services: 76.2% (2003)
78,990 (2004)
agriculture: 20% ; industry: 20% ; services: 60% (2002)
17.1% (2004)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

1.4% (2000 est.)

revenues: $996 million ; expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.)

vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish
nickel mining and smelting
-0.6% (1996)
1.508 billion kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 76.3% ; hydro: 23.7% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
1.403 billion kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
11,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
605.7 bbl/day (2004)
11,980 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$1.341 billion f.o.b. (2006)
ferronickels, nickel ore, fish
Japan 17.8%, Taiwan 14.9%, France 13.7%, China 11.1%, Spain 9.7%, Belgium 7.5%, Italy 6.2%, Australia 4.7% (2006)
$1.998 billion f.o.b. (2006)
France 38.9%, Singapore 15.3%, Australia 11.4%, NZ 4.8% (2006)


$79 million (1998 est.)


$NA
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)
XPF
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 95.025 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003)
calendar year
$524.3 million annual subsidy from France (2004)
55,300 (2005)
134,300 (2005)
general assessment: NA ; domestic: a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia and Australia, scheduled for completion in 2008, will improve high-speed connectivity and access to international networks ; international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)
107,000 (1997)
6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997)
52,000 (1997)
.nc
14,252 (2007)
1 (2000)
80,000 (2006)

25 (2007)
total: 12 ; over 3,047 m: 1 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 9 ; under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 13 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 7 ; under 914 m: 6 (2007)
6 (2007)


total: 5,432 km (2000)

total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT ; by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2007)
Noumea

no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force

males age 18-49: 50,874 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 40,822 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 1,907 (2005 est.)
NA
defense is the responsibility of France
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu



