from
CIA World Factbook 2006
New Caledonia
Introduction
Background: 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.
Geography
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of
Australia
Geographic 21 30 S, 165 30 E
coordinates:
Map Oceania
references:
Area: total: 19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
water: 485 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than New Jersey
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 2,254 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains with interior mountains
Elevation lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m
Natural nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold,
resources: lead, copper
Land use: arable land: 0.32%
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 99.46% (2005)
Irrigated 100 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural cyclones, most frequent from November to March
hazards:
Environment - erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires
current
issues:
Geography - consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of
note: the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of
Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated
islands and atolls
People
Population: 219,246 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.4% (male 31,818/female 30,503)
15-64 years: 64.9% (male 71,565/female 70,815)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 6,773/female 7,772) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 27.8 years
male: 27.4 years
female: 28.2 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.24% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 18.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.69 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
rate: note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and
Futuna to New Caledonia (2006 est.)
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: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 7.57 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 8.27 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 6.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 74.27 years
expectancy at male: 71.29 years
birth: female: 77.39 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New Caledonian
Ethnic groups: Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%,
Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%,
other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%
Languages: French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91%
male: 92%
female: 90% (1976 est.)
Government
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 territorial collectivity of France since 1998
status:
Government NA
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 none (overseas territory of France); there are no
divisions: first-order administrative divisions as defined by the
US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Iles
Loyaute, Nord, and 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 for 2014
National Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
holiday:
Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to
the islands; formerly under French law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC
branch: (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner
Michel MATHIEU (since 15 July 2005)
head of government: President of the Government
Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU (since 10 June 2004)
cabinet: Consultative Committee consists of eight
members chosen from leading figures on the island to
advise the High Commissioner
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 29
June 2004 when Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU was elected on
the third vote with 8 votes for and 3 abstentions
Legislative unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial
branch: (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 NA
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 1 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 2
seats to the French National Assembly; elections last
held 9 and 16 June 2002 (next to be held by June 2007);
results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party
- UMP 2
Judicial Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint
branch: Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court
Political Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX];
parties and Caledonian Union or UC; Federation des Comites de
leaders: 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 [leader NA]
(includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de
Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie
POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti
independent) 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]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ICFTU, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (overseas territory of France)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (overseas territory of France)
representation
from the US:
Flag the flag of France is used
description:
Economy
Economy - New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel
overview: 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 one-fourth 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 $3.158 billion (2003 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real NA%
growth rate:
GDP - per $15,000 (2003 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 15%
composition by industry: 8.8%
sector: services: 76.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 78,990 (including 11,300 unemployed) (2004)
Labor force - agriculture: 20%
by occupation: industry: 20%
services: 60% (1999 est.)
Unemployment 17.1% (2004)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate -0.6% (2000 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $856.3 million
expenditures: $836.5 million (1996 est.)
Agriculture - vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish
products:
Industries: nickel mining and smelting
Industrial -0.6% (1996)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 1.581 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 76.3%
production by hydro: 23.7%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 1.47 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $999 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - ferronickels, nickel ore, fish
commodities:
Exports - Japan 21.4%, France 16%, Taiwan 11.4%, South Korea
partners: 10.1%, Spain 9%, China 7.2%, South Africa 5.2%, Belgium
4.5% (2005)
Imports: $1.636 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs
commodities:
Imports - France 39%, Singapore 17.4%, Australia 13%, NZ 5.3%
partners: (2005)
Debt - $79 million (1998 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $525 million annual subsidy from France (2004)
recipient:
Currency Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)
(code):
Currency code: XPF
Exchange Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US
rates: dollar - 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003),
126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 55,300 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 134,300 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: NA
system: domestic: NA
international: country code - 687; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 107,000 (1997)
Television 6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 52,000 (1997)
Internet .nc
country code:
Internet 13,962 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 76,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 25 (2006)
Airports - total: 11
with paved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - total: 14
with unpaved 914 to 1,523 m: 8
runways: under 914 m: 6 (2006)
Heliports: 6 (2006)
Roadways: total: 5,432 km (2000)
Merchant total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT
marine: by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2006)
Ports and Noumea
terminals:
Military
Military no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed
branches: Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie);
Police Force
Manpower males age 18-49: 50,874 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 40,822 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 1,907 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military NA
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military NA
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Military - defense is the responsibility of France
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia
international: claimed by France and Vanuatu