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Appendices

Australia-Oceania :: New Caledonia

(self-governing territory of France)

page last updated on November 10, 2011

(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)

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Introduction ::New Caledonia

Background:

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.

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 a referendum between 2014 and 2019 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.

Geography ::New Caledonia

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Geographic coordinates:

21 30 S, 165 30 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 18,575 sq km

country comparison to the world: 156

land: 18,275 sq km

water: 300 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

2,254 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Terrain:

coastal plains with interior mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m

Natural resources:

nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper

Land use:

arable land: 0.32%

permanent crops: 0.22%

other: 99.46% (2005)

Irrigated land:

100 sq km (2008)

Natural hazards:

cyclones, most frequent from November to March

volcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active

Environment - current issues:

erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

Geography - note:

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

People and Society ::New Caledonia

Nationality:

noun: New Caledonian(s)

adjective: New Caledonian

Ethnic groups:

Melanesian 44.1%, European 34.1%, Wallisian & Futunian 9%, Tahitian 2.6%, Indonesian 2.5%, Vietnamese 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1.1%, other 5.2% (1996 census)

Languages:

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Religions:

Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%

Population:

256,275 (July 2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 182

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.9% (male 32,653/female 31,236)

15-64 years: 67.3% (male 86,865/female 85,578)

65 years and over: 7.8% (male 8,954/female 10,989) (2011 est.)

Median age:

total: 30.1 years

male: 29.6 years

female: 30.7 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.524% (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 78

Birth rate:

16.28 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 125

Death rate:

5.28 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 178

Net migration rate:

4.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population

country comparison to the world: 22

note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2011 est.)

Urbanization:

urban population: 57% of total population (2010)

rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - population:

NOUMEA (capital) 144,000 (2009)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.71 deaths/1,000 live births

country comparison to the world: 178

male: 6.75 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.75 years

country comparison to the world: 70

male: 72.67 years

female: 81.03 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.07 children born/woman (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 120

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

Education expenditures:

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.2%

male: 96.8%

female: 95.5% (1996 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

Government ::New Caledonia

Country name:

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

Dependency status:

territorial collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998

Government type:

Capital:

name: Noumea

geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E

time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

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

Independence:

none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled to take place between 2014 and 2019

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - the local holiday is New Caledonia Day, 24 September (1853)

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

civil law system based on French law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Albert DUPUY (since 6 October 2010)

head of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since 3 March 2011); note - since 3 March 2011, three different governments of Harold MARTIN have collapsed over the choice of a flag that will be used while it is being decolonized; President MARTIN is head of a caretaker government

cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress

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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 on 10 June 2011 (next to be held June 2016)

Legislative branch:

elections: 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) last held on 9 May 2009 (next to be held on 10 May 2014)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 13, Caledonia Together 10, UC 8, UNI 8, AE 6, FLNKS 3, Labor Party 3, other 3

note: New Caledonia holds two seats in the French Senate; elections last held on 21 September 2008 (next to be held not later than September 2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held in June 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court

Political parties and leaders:

Caledonia My Country; Caledonia Together [Philippe GOMES]; Caledonian Union or UC [Nicholas ABOUT]; Communist Republican and Left Party or CRC-SPG [Nichole BORVO COHEN-SEAT]; Democratic and European Social Rally or R.D.S.E. [Yvon COLLIN]; Front National or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Labor Party [Louis Kotra UREGEI]; National Union for Independence or UNI; Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; Renewed Caledonian Union; Socialist Group [Jean Pierre BEL]; Socialist Kanak Liberation or LKS [Nidoish NAISSELINE]; The Future Together or AE [Didier LEROUX]; The Rally or UMP [Gerard LONGUET]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI; Union of Pro-Independence Co-operation Committees [Francois BURCK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

International organization participation:

PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description:

the flag of France is used

National symbol(s):

kagu bird

National anthem:

name: "Soyons unis, devenons freres" (Let Us Be United, Let Us Become Brothers)

lyrics/music: Chorale Melodia (a local choir)

note: adopted 2008; the anthem contains a mixture of lyrics in both French and Nengone (an indigenous language); as a self-governing territory of France, in addition to the local anthem, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

Economy ::New Caledonia

Economy - overview:

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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.158 billion (2003 est.)

country comparison to the world: 175

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.3 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$15,000 (2003 est.)

country comparison to the world: 74

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2%

industry: 26.5%

services: 71.4% (2010 est.)

Labor force:

102,600 (2007)

country comparison to the world: 182

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 20%

industry: 20%

services: 60% (2002)

Unemployment rate:

17.1% (2004)

country comparison to the world: 156

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

27.6% of GDP (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 40

Budget:

revenues: $996 million

expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.)

Taxes and other revenues:

30.2% of GDP (2001 est.)

country comparison to the world: 92

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):

-2.3% of GDP (2001 est.)

country comparison to the world: 82

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.7% (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 89

0.9% (2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Agriculture - products:

vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish

Industries:

nickel mining and smelting

Electricity - production:

1.8 billion kWh (2008 est.)

country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity - consumption:

1.674 billion kWh (2008 est.)

country comparison to the world: 140

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 209

Oil - consumption:

14,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)

country comparison to the world: 143

Oil - exports:

648 bbl/day (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 123

Oil - imports:

14,330 bbl/day (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 133

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 170

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 104

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 113

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 149

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 157

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 171

Exports:

$969.4 million (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 153

$969.4 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

Exports - partners:

Japan 19.8%, France 16.7%, South Korea 10.5%, Australia 8.1%, Spain 6.7%, US 4.9% (2010)

Imports:

$2.58 billion (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 148

$2.58 billion (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

France 31.8%, China 14.1%, Singapore 13.8%, Australia 11.4%, NZ 4.3% (2010)

Debt - external:

$79 million (1998 est.)

country comparison to the world: 187

Exchange rates:

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -

87.59 (2007)

94.97 (2006)

95.89 (2005)

96.04 (2004)

105.66 (2003)

Communications ::New Caledonia

Telephones - main lines in use:

72,200 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 155

Telephones - mobile cellular:

220,800 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 175

Telephone system:

general assessment: a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia and Australia, completed in 2007, is expected to significantly increase network capacity and improve high-speed connectivity and access to international networks

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 100 per 100 persons

international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2008)

Broadcast media:

the publicly-owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which operates in France's overseas departments and territories, broadcasts over the RFO Nouvelle Caledonie television and radio stations; a small number of privately-owned radio stations also broadcast (2008)

Internet country code:

.nc

Internet hosts:

22,456 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 106

Internet users:

85,000 (2009)

country comparison to the world: 164