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- #CARD:New Caledonia:Geography
- #IMAGE 49 66 TWPCX \maps\New_Cale.PCX
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK Click Here for MAP
- New Caledonia
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- in the South Pacific Ocean, 1,750 km east of Australia
- Map references:
- Oceania
- Area:
- total area:
- 19,060 km2
- land area:
- 18,760 km2
- comparative area:
- slightly smaller than New Jersey
- Land boundaries:
- 0 km
- Coastline:
- 2,254 km
- Maritime claims:
- exclusive economic zone:
- 200 nm
- territorial sea:
- 12 nm
- International disputes:
- none
- Climate:
- tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
- Terrain:
- coastal plains with interior mountains
- Natural resources:
- nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 0%
- permanent crops:
- 0%
- meadows and pastures:
- 14%
- forest and woodland:
- 51%
- other:
- 35%
- Irrigated land:
- NA km2
- Environment:
- typhoons most frequent from November to March
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:New Caledonia:People
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 178,056 (July 1993 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 1.83% (1993 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 22.7 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Death rate:
- 5.01 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 15.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 73.22 years
- male:
- 69.92 years
- female:
- 76.7 years (1993 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 2.67 children born/woman (1993 est.)
- Nationality:
- noun:
- New Caledonian(s)
- adjective:
- New Caledonian
- Ethnic divisions:
- 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, 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
- Literacy:
- age 15 and over can read and write (1976)
- total population:
- 91%
- male:
- 91%
- female:
- 90%
- Labor force:
- 50,469 foreign workers for plantations and mines from Wallis and Futuna,
- Vanuatu, and French Polynesia (1980 est.)
- by occupation:
- NA
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:New Caledonia:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- 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
- Digraph:
- NC
- Type:
- overseas territory of France since 1956
- 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; a referendum on independence will be
- held in 1998)
- Constitution:
- 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
- Legal system:
- the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands;
- formerly under French law
- National holiday:
- National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
- Political parties and leaders:
- white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique (RPCR),
- conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR - affiliated to France's Rassemblement pour la
- Republique (RPR); Melanesian proindependence Kanaka Socialist National
- Liberation Front (FLNKS), Paul NEAOUTYINE; Melanesian moderate Kanak
- Socialist Liberation (LKS), Nidoish NAISSELINE; National Front (FN), extreme
- right, Guy GEORGE; Caledonie Demain (CD), right-wing, Bernard MARANT; Union
- Oceanienne (UO), conservative, Michel HEMA; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak
- (FULK), proindependence, UREGEI; Union Caledonian (UC), Francois BURCK
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal
- Elections:
- French Senate:
- last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held September 2001); results -
- percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) RPCR 1
- French National Assembly:
- last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held 21 and 28 March 1993); results
- - RPR 83.5%, FN 13.5%, other 3%; seats - (2 total) RPCR 2
- Territorial Assembly:
- last held 11 June 1989 (next to be held 1993); results - RPCR 44.5%, FLNKS
- 28.5%, FN 7%, CD 5%, UO 4%, other 11%; seats - (54 total) RPCR 27, FLNKS 19,
- FN 3, other 5; note - election boycotted by FULK
- Executive branch:
- French president, high commissioner, Consultative Committee (cabinet)
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral Territorial Assembly
- Judicial branch:
- Court of Appeal
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:New Caledonia:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Government
- Leaders:
- Chief of State:
- President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
- Head of Government:
- High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government Alain
- CHRISTNACHT (since 15 January 1991)
- Member of:
- ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- as an overseas territory of France, New Caledonian interests are represented
- in the US by France
- US diplomatic representation:
- none (overseas territory of France)
- Flag:
- the flag of France is used
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:New Caledonia:Economy
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Economy
-
-
- Overview:
- New Caledonia has more than 25% of the world's known nickel resources. In
- recent years the economy has suffered because of depressed international
- demand for nickel, the principal source of export earnings. Only a
- negligible amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts
- for about 25% of imports.
- National product:
- GNP - exchange rate conversion - $1 billion (1991 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- 2.4% (1988)
- National product per capita:
- $6,000 (1991 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 4.1% (1989)
- Unemployment rate:
- 16% (1989)
- Budget:
- revenues $224.0 million; expenditures $211.0 million, including capital
- expenditures of $NA (1985)
- Exports:
- $671 million (f.o.b., 1989)
- commodities:
- nickel metal 87%, nickel ore
- partners:
- France 52.3%, Japan 15.8%, US 6.4%
- Imports:
- $764 million (c.i.f., 1989)
- commodities:
- foods, fuels, minerals, machines, electrical equipment
- partners:
- France 44.0%, US 10%, Australia 9%
- External debt:
- $NA
- Industrial production:
- growth rate NA%
- Electricity:
- 400,000 kW capacity; 2,200 million kWh produced, 12,790 kWh per capita
- (1990)
- Industries:
- nickel mining and smelting
- Agriculture:
- large areas devoted to cattle grazing; coffee, corn, wheat, vegetables; 60%
- self-sufficient in beef
- Illicit drugs:
- illicit cannabis cultivation is becoming a principal source of income for
- some families
- Economic aid:
- Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
- $4,185 million
- Currency:
- 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
- Exchange rates:
- Comptoirs Francais duPacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 99.65 (January
- 1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30
- (1988); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
- Fiscal year:
- calendar year
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:New Caledonia:Communications
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Communications
-
-
- Highways:
- 6,340 km total; only about 10% paved (1987)
- Ports:
- Noumea, Nepoui, Poro, Thio
- Airports:
- total:
- 29
- usable:
- 27
- with permanent-surface runways:
- 2
- with runways over 3,659 m:
- 0
- with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
- 1
- with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
- 2
- Telecommunications:
- 32,578 telephones (1987); broadcast stations - 5 AM, 3 FM, 7 TV; 1 Pacific
- Ocean INTELSAT earth station
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:New Caledonia:Defense Forces
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- Gendarmerie, Police Force
- Note:
- defense is the responsibility of France
-
- #ENDCARD
-