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- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Header
-
-
- Affiliation:
- (overseas territory of France)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
- Map references:
- Oceania
- Area:
- total area:
- 19,060 sq km
- land area:
- 18,760 sq km
- 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 sq km
- Environment:
- current issues:
- NA
- natural hazards:
- typhoons most frequent from November to March
- international agreements:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 184,552 (July 1995 est.)
- Age structure:
- 0-14 years:
- 31% (female 27,712; male 28,677)
- 15-64 years:
- 64% (female 58,462; male 60,169)
- 65 years and over:
- 5% (female 4,997; male 4,535) (July 1995 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 1.75% (1995 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 22.04 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Death rate:
- 4.9 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 74.02 years
- male:
- 70.73 years
- female:
- 77.48 years (1995 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 2.57 children born/woman (1995 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:
- 92%
- 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
- 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)
- National holiday:
- National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
- Constitution:
- 28 September 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 Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
- head of government:
- High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government Didier CULTIAUX
- (since NA July 1994; appointed by the French Ministry of the Interior);
- President of the Territorial Congress Simon LOUECKHOTE (since 26 June 1989)
- cabinet:
- Consultative Committee
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral
- Territorial Assembly:
- elections last held 11 June 1989 (next to be held July 1995); 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
- French Senate:
- elections 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:
- elections last held 21 March 1993 (next to be held 21 and 28 March 1998);
- results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) RPCR 2
- Judicial branch:
- Court of Appeal
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Government
- Political parties and leaders:
- white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique (RPCR),
- conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR, president - affiliated to France's
- Rassemblement pour la Republique (RPR; also called South Province Party);
- 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, Clarence UREGEI; Union Caledonian (UC), Francois BURCK,
- president; "1999" (new party calling for an autonomous state), Philippe
- PENTECOST
- Member of:
- ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WFTU, WMO
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- none (overseas territory of France)
- US diplomatic representation:
- none (overseas territory of France)
- Flag:
- the flag of France is used
- 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:
- GDP - purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1991 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- 2.4% (1988)
- National product per capita:
- $6,000 (1991 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 1.4% (1990)
- Unemployment rate:
- 16% (1989)
- Budget:
- revenues:
- $224 million
- expenditures:
- $211 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1985 est.)
- Exports:
- $671 million (f.o.b., 1989)
- commodities:
- nickel metal 87%, nickel ore
- partners:
- France 32%, Japan 23.5%, US 3.6%
- 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:
- capacity:
- 250,000 kW
- production:
- 1.2 billion kWh
- consumption per capita:
- 6,178 kWh (1993)
- 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:
- recipient:
- Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
- $4.185 billion
- Currency:
- 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Economy
- Exchange rates:
- Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 96.25 (January
- 1995), 100.93 (1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00
- (1990); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
- Fiscal year:
- calendar year
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Transportation
-
-
- Railroads:
- 0 km
- Highways:
- total:
- 6,340 km
- paved:
- 634 km
- unpaved:
- 5,706 km (1987)
- Ports:
- Mueo, Noumea, Thio
- Merchant marine:
- total:
- 1 roll-on/roll-off ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,079 GRT/724 DWT
- Airports:
- 36
- with paved runways over 3,047 m:
- 1
- with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
- 3
- with paved runways under 914 m:
- 19
- with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
- 13
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Communications
-
-
- Telephone system:
- 32,578 telephones (1987)
- local:
- NA
- intercity:
- NA
- international:
- 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) satellite link
- Radio:
- broadcast stations:
- AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0
- radios:
- NA
- Television:
- broadcast stations:
- 7
- televisions:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- New Caledonia
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- French Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force
- Defense expenditures:
- $NA, NA% of GDP
- Note:
- defense is the responsibility of France
-