|
|
|
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 has dissipated. |
|
Location:
|
Oceania,
islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
21 30 S,
165 30 E |
|
Map references:
|
Oceania
|
|
Area:
|
total:
19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
water: 485 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: 0.38%
permanent crops: 0.33%
other: 99.29% (2001) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
160 sq km
(1991) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
cyclones,
most frequent from November to March |
|
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 |
|
Population:
|
216,494
(July 2005 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14
years: 29% (male 32,030/female 30,714)
15-64 years: 64.6% (male 70,294/female 69,506)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 6,513/female 7,437)
(2005 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
27.5 years
male: 27.16 years
female: 27.84 years (2005 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.28%
(2005 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
18.49
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
5.65
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
7.72 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 74.04 years
male: 71.07 years
female: 77.16 years (2005 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.31
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
NA% |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
NA |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
NA |
|
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.) |
|
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:
|
overseas
territory of France since 1956 |
|
Government type:
|
NA |
|
Capital:
|
Noumea
|
|
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 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 holiday:
|
Bastille
Day, 14 July (1789) |
|
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 branch:
|
chief
of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (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
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; 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 branch:
|
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial
(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; elections last held 24 September 2001
(next to be held not later than September 2007; between
now and 2010 New Caledonia will gain a second seat in
the French Senate); results - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NA; 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 branch:
|
Court of
Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce
Tribunal Court; Children's Court |
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
Alliance
pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caleonian
Union or UC [leader NA]; 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 [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 pressure groups and leaders:
|
NA |
|
International organization participation:
|
FZ,
ICFTU, PIF (observer), UPU, WFTU, WMO |
|
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 |
|
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 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 (purchasing power parity):
|
$3.158
billion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
NA% |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 5%
industry: 30%
services: 65% (1997 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
79,400
(including 15,018 unemployed) (1996) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture 7%, industry 23%, services 70% (1999 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate:
|
19%
(1996) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
-0.6%
(2000 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $861.3 million
expenditures: $735.3 million, including capital
expenditures of $52 million (1996 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products |
|
Industries:
|
nickel
mining and smelting |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
-0.6%
(1996) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
1.581
billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 76.3%
hydro: 23.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
1.471
billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
8,750
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA |
|
Exports:
|
$448
million f.o.b. (2002) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
ferronickels, nickel ore, fish |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Japan
22%, France 16.5%, Taiwan 12.3%, South Korea 12%, Spain
6.3%, Australia 6.1%, China 4.8%, South Africa 4.5%
(2004) |
|
Imports:
|
$1.007
billion f.o.b. (2002) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery
and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs |
|
Imports - partners:
|
France
40.3%, Singapore 10.9%, Australia 9.1%, New Zealand 4.9%
(2004) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$79
million (1998 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$880
million annual subsidy from France (1998) |
|
Currency (code):
|
Comptoirs
Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) |
|
Currency code:
|
XPF |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Comptoirs
Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 96.04
(2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001),
129.43 (2000) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
52,000
(2002) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
80,000
(2002) |
|
Telephone system:
|
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 687; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 1, FM
5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
|
Radios:
|
107,000
(1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
6 (plus
25 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
|
Televisions:
|
52,000
(1997) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.nc |
|
Internet hosts:
|
4,449
(2003) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
1 (2000)
|
|
Internet users:
|
60,000
(2003) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
5,432 km (2000) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Noumea
|
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,261 GRT/1,600 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
25 (2004
est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
11
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
14
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
6 (2004
est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
no
regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces
(includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police
Force |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$NA |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
NA |
|
Military - note:
|
defense
is the responsibility of France |
|
Disputes - international:
|
Matthew
and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by
France and Vanuatu |
|
This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
|
|
| |
|
|
