New Caledonia

New Caledonia Population: 224,824
BackgroundSettled 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 rly 1990s ended in the 1998 Noum Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 yrs will transfer an incrsing 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.
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GeographyConsists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocn), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls.Loion:Ocnia, islands in the South Pacific Ocn, st of AustraliaGeographic coordinates:21 30 S, 165 30 r:total: 19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
water: 485 sq kmSize comparison: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land Boundaries:0 kmCoastline:2,254 kmMaritime claims:territorial s: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmClimate:tropical; modified by southst trade winds; hot, humidTerrain:coastal plains with interior mountainsElevation extremes:lowest point: Pacific Ocn 0 m
highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 mNatural resources:nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, ld, copperLand use:arable land: 0.32%
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 99.46% (2005)Irrigated land:100 sq km (2003)Natural hazards:cyclones, most frequent from November to MarchCurrent Environment Issues:erosion caused by mining ation and forest fires
PeoplePopulation:224,824 (July 2008 est.)Age structure:0-14 yrs: 27.3% (male 31,376/female 30,064)
15-64 yrs: 65.6% (male 74,064/female 73,369)
65 yrs and over: 7.1% (male 7,377/female 8,574) (2008 est.)Median age:total: 28.4 yrs
male: 28 yrs
female: 28.8 yrs (2008 est.)Population growth rate:1.175% (2008 est.)Birth rate:17.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)Dth rate:5.64 dths/1,000 population (2008 est.)Net migration rate:NA note: there has been stdy emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2008 est.)Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 yrs: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 yrs: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 yrs and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)Infant mortality rate:total: 7.19 dths/1,000 live births
male: 7.85 dths/1,000 live births
female: 6.5 dths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)Life expectancy at birth:total population: 74.75 yrs
male: 71.76 yrs
female: 77.88 yrs (2008 est.)Total fertility rate:2.21 children born/woman (2008 est.)HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NAHIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NAHIV/AIDS - dths:NANationality:noun: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New CaledonianEthnic groups:Melanesian 44.1%, Europn 34.1%, Wallisian & Futunian 9%, Tahitian 2.6%, Indonesian 2.5%, Vietnamese 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1.1%, other 5.2% (1996 census)Religions:Roman holic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%Languages:French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialectsLiteracy:definition: age 15 and over can rd and write
total population: 96.2%
male: 96.8%
female: 95.5% (1996 census)
GovernmentCountry 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-CaledonieGovernment type:NACapital:name: Noum
geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E
time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahd of Washington, DC during Standard Time)Administrative divisions:none (overss territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Province des Iles, Province Nord, and Province SudIndependence:none (overss territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014National holiday:Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)Constitution:4 October 1958 (French Constitution)Legal system:based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islandsSuffrage:18 yrs of age; universalExecutive branch:chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since 9 November 2007)
hd of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since 7 August 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-yr 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-yr term (no term limits); note - last election held 7 August 2007 when Harold MARTIN was elected following the resignation of Marie-Noelle THEMERU as president on 24 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012)Legislative branch:elections: unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres du territoire (54 sts; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-yr terms) last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; sts by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3
note: New Caledonia currently holds two sts in the French Senate; elections last held 21 September 2008 (next to be held not later than September 2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA; sts by party - UMP 2; New Caledonia also elects two sts to the French National Assembly; elections last held 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held on June 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; sts by party - UMP 2Judicial branch:Court of Appl or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's CourtPolitical parties and lders:Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caledonian Union or UC; 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 (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independence) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI [Paul NOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul NOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO]Political pressure groups and lders:NAInternational organization participation:ITUC, PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMODiplomatic representation in the US:none (overss territory of France)Diplomatic representation from the US:none (overss territory of France)
EconomyNew 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 15% of GDP - and tourism are to the hlth 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 yrs.GDP (purchasing power parity):$3.158 billion (2003 est.)GDP (official exchange rate):$3.3 billion (2003 est.)GDP - rl growth rate:NA%GDP - per capita (PPP):$15,000 (2003 est.)GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 15%
industry: 8.8%
services: 76.2% (2003)Labor force:78,990 (2004)Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 20%
industry: 20%
services: 60% (2002)Unemployment rate:17.1% (2004)Population below poverty line:NA%Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%Inflation rate (consumer prices):1.4% (2000 est.)Budget:revenues: $996 million
expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.)Agriculture - products:
Industries:nickel mining and smeltingIndustrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:1.602 billion kWh (2006 est.)Electricity - consumption:1.49 billion kWh (2006 est.)Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2007 est.)Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2007 est.)Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2007 est.)Oil - consumption:11,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)Oil - exports:356.2 bbl/day (2005)Oil - imports:11,780 bbl/day (2005)Oil - proved reserves:0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - exports:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - imports:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - proved reserves:0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)Exports:$1.341 billion f.o.b. (2006)Exports - commodities:ferronickels, nickel ore, fishExports - partners:Japan 20.1%, China 14.5%, Taiwan 14.2%, France 11.6%, Beium 10.4%, Spain 8.6%, South Africa 6.9% (2007)Imports:$1.998 billion f.o.b. (2006)Imports - commodities:machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffsImports - partners:France 36.7%, Singapore 14.7%, Australia 12.1%, NZ 5.2%, Germany 4.6% (2007)Debt - external:$79 million (1998 est.)Market value of publicly traded shares:$NACurrency ():Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)Exchange rates:Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 87.59 (2007), 95.025 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003)Fiscal yr:calendar yr
CommuniionsTele in use:60,200 (2007)Cellular in use:176,400 (2007)Telephone system:eral assessment: NA
domestic: a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia and Australia, completed in 2007, is expected to significantly incrse network capacity and improve high-speed connectivity and access to international networks
international: country - 687; satellite rth station - 1 sat (Pacific Ocn) (2007)Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)Television broadcast stations:6 (plus 25 repters) (1997)Internet country :.ncInternet hosts:15,487 (2008)Internet users:80,000 (2006)
TransportationAirports:25 (2007)Airports (paved runways):total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 2 (2007)Airports (unpaved runways):total: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 6 (2007)Heliports:6 (2007)Roadways:total: 5,622 km (2006)Merchant marine:total: 2
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2008)Ports and terminals:Noum
MilitaryDefense is the responsibility of FranceMilitary branches:no regular indious military forces; French Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, darmerie); Police ForceManpower available for military service:males age 16-49: 57,738 (2008 est.)Manpower fit for military service:males age 16-49: 47,342 (2008 est.)