| 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
seems to have dissipated. |
| Location: |
Oceania, islands
in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
21 30 S, 165 30 E |
| Area: |
total:
19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
water: 485 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than New Jersey |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 12%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 49% (1993 est.) |
| 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 |
| Population: |
204,863 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
30.31% (male 31,674; female 30,416)
15-64 years: 63.95% (male 66,014; female
65,006)
65 years and over: 5.74% (male 5,548; female
6,205) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.48% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
20.37
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.62 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
8.4 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 73.02 years
male: 70.08 years
female: 76.11 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.48 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
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 |
| 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 |
| National
holiday: |
Bastille Day, 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 of France Jacques CHIRAC (since
17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner Thierry
LATASTE (since 19 July 1999)
head of government: President of the Government
Jean LEQUES (since 28 May 1999)
cabinet: Consultative Committee
elections: French president elected by popular
vote for a seven-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 |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial (54 seats;
members are members of the three Provincial Assemblies or
Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 May 1999 (next to be
held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - RPCR 24, FLNKS 12, UNI 6, FCCI 4, FN
4, Alliance pour la Caledonie 3, LKS 1
note: New Caledonia elects 1 seat to the French
Senate; elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be
held NA September 2001); results - percent of vote by party
- NA; seats by party - RPR 1; New Caledonia also elects 2
seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held
25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 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 [Didier LEROUX]; Developper Ensemble pour
Construire l'Avenir or DEPCA [Robert FROUIN]; Federation des
Comites de Coordination des Independantistes or FCCI [Leopald
SOREDIE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE];
Groupe de l'Alliance Multiraciale or GAM [Dany DALMAYRAE];
Independance et Progres [Alphonse PUJAPUJANE]; Kanak
Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS [Rock
WAMYTAN] (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); La Caledonie
Autrement [Denis MILLIARD]; Loyalty Islands Development
Front or FDIL [Cono HAMU]; National Front or FN [Guy
GEORGE]; Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Charles
WASHETINE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic or RPCR
[Jacques LAFLEUR]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [leader
NA]; Renouveau [Thierry VALET]; Socialist Kanak Liberation
or LKS [Nidoish NAISSELINE]; Union Caledonienne or UC
[Bernard LEPEU]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI
[Paul NEAOUTYINE]; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM
[Andre GOPEA] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ESCAP
(associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, 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
more than 20% 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 20% of
imports. In addition to nickel, the substantial financial
support from France and tourism are keys to the health of
the economy. The situation in 1998 was clouded by the
spillover of financial problems in East Asia and by lower
prices for nickel. Nickel prices jumped in 1999-2000, and
large additions were made to capacity. French Government
interests in the New Caledonian nickel industry are being
transferred to local ownership. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $3 billion (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.5% (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $15,000 (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
4%
industry: 30%
services: 66% (1997 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.5% (1998 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
79,395 (including
15, 018 unemployed, 1996) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 7%,
industry 23%, services 70% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
19% (1996) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$861.3 million
expenditures: $735.3 million, including capital
expenditures of $52 million (1996 est.) |
| Industries: |
nickel mining and
smelting |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-0.6% (1996) |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.52 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
78.95%
hydro: 21.05%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.414 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
vegetables; beef,
deer, other livestock products |
| Exports: |
$411 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
ferronickels,
nickel ore, fish |
| Exports
- partners: |
Japan 27%, France
17%, Taiwan 12%, South Korea 9% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$843 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
transport
equipment, machinery and electrical equipment, fuels,
minerals, wine, sugar, rice |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 49%,
Australia 14%, Singapore 6%, New Zealand 5%, US 5% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$79 million (1998
est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$880 million
annual subsidy from France |
| Currency: |
Comptoirs
Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Comptoirs
Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 127.11
(January 2001), 129.44 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25 (1998),
106.11 (1997), 93.00 (1996); note - linked at the rate of
119.25 XPF to the euro |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
47,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
13,040 (1998) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 5,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
6 (plus 25
low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
52,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.nc |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
5,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
4,825 km
paved: 2,287 km
unpaved: 2,538 km (1999) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Mueo, Noumea,
Thio |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,261 GRT/1,600 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
6
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
23
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
French Armed
Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$192.3 million
(1996) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
5.3% (1996) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of France |
| Disputes
- international: |
Matthew and
Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and
Vanuatu |
|
