New Caledonia

The first humans settled in New Caledonia around 1600 B.C. The Lapita were skilled navigators, and evidence of their pottery around the Pacific has served as a guide for understanding human expansion in the region. Successive waves of migrants from other islands in Melanesia intermarried with the Lapita, giving rise to the Kanak ethnic group considered indigenous to New Caledonia. British explorer James COOK was the first European to visit New Caledonia in 1774, giving it the Latin name for Scotland. Missionaries first landed in New Caledonia in 1840. In 1853, France annexed New Caledonia to preclude any British attempt to claim the island. France declared it a penal colony in 1864 and sent more than 20,000 prisoners to New Caledonia in the ensuing three decades.Nickel was discovered in 1864, and French prisoners were directed to mine it. France brought in indentured servants and enslaved labor from elsewhere in Southeast Asia to work the mines, blocking Kanaks from accessing the most profitable part of the local economy. In 1878, High Chief ATAI led a rebellion against French rule. The Kanaks were relegated to reservations, leading to periodic smaller uprisings and culminating in a large revolt in 1917 that colonial authorities brutally suppressed. During World War II, New Caledonia became an important base for Allied troops, and the US moved its South Pacific headquarters to the island in 1942. Following the war, France made New Caledonia an overseas territory and granted French citizenship to all inhabitants in 1953, thereby permitting the Kanaks to move off the reservations.The Kanak nationalist movement began in the 1950s, but most voters chose to remain a territory in an independence referendum in 1958. The European population of New Caledonia boomed in the 1970s with a renewed focus on nickel mining, reigniting Kanak nationalism. Key Kanak leaders were assassinated in the early 1980s, leading to escalating violence and dozens of fatalities. The Matignon Accords of 1988 provided for a 10-year transition period. The Noumea Accord of 1998 transferred increasing governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia over a 20-year period and provided for three independence referenda. In the first held in 2018, voters rejected independence by 57% to 43%; in the second held in 2020, voters rejected independence 53% to 47%. In the third referendum held in 2021, voters rejected independence 96% to 4%; however, a boycott by key Kanak groups spurred challenges about the legitimacy of the vote. Pro-independence parties subsequently won a majority in the New Caledonian Government for the first time. France and New Caledonia officials remain in talks about the status of the territory.

land

18,275 sq km

total

18,575 sq km

water

300 sq km

slightly smaller than New Jersey

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

2,254 km

highest point

Mont Panie 1,628 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

21 30 S, 165 30 E

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

100 sq km (2012)

total

0 km

agricultural land

10.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 9.8% (2018 est.)

forest

45.9% (2018 est.)

other

43.7% (2018 est.)

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Oceania

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

cyclones, most frequent from November to Marchvolcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active

nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper

most of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea

coastal plains with interior mountains

0-14 years

20.7% (male 32,238/female 30,858)

15-64 years

68.4% (male 104,825/female 103,349)

65 years and over

10.8% (2024 est.) (male 14,326/female 18,571)

13.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

NA

NA

NA

22.5% (2023 est.)

6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

16

potential support ratio

6.3 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

49.6

youth dependency ratio

33.6

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 99.3% of population

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0.7% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

NA

Kanak 39.1%, European 27.1%, Wallisian, Futunian 8.2%, Tahitian 2.1%, Indonesian 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1%, Vietnamese 0.9%, other 17.7%, unspecified 2.5% (2014 est.)

0.89 (2024 est.)

female

3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

male

5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

4.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Languages

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

female

83.3 years

male

75.4 years

total population

79.3 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

96.5% (2015)

male

97.3%

total population

96.9%

198,000 NOUMEA (capital) (2018)

female

35.1 years

male

33.5 years

total

34.3 years (2024 est.)

adjective

New Caledonian

noun

New Caledonian(s)

3.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

NA

female

152,778 (2024 est.)

male

151,389

total

304,167

most of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea

1.14% (2024 est.)

Christian 85.2%, Muslim 2.8%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 10.4% (2020 est.)

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.77 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

1.83 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

72.7% of total population (2023)

3 provinces; Province Iles (Islands Province), Province Nord (North Province), and Province Sud (South Province)

etymology

established in 1854 as Port-de-France, the settlement was renamed Noumea in 1866, in order to avoid any confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique; the New Caledonian language of Ndrumbea (also spelled Ndumbea, Dubea, and Drubea) spoken in the area gave its name to the capital city, Noumea, as well as to the neighboring town (suburb) of Dumbea

geographic coordinates

22 16 S, 166 27 E

name

Noumea

time difference

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

see France

amendments

French constitution amendment procedures apply

history

4 October 1958 (French Constitution with changes as reflected in the Noumea Accord of 5 May 1998)

conventional long form

Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies

conventional short form

New Caledonia

etymology

British explorer Captain James COOK discovered and named New Caledonia in 1774; he used the appellation because the northeast of the island reminded him of Scotland (Caledonia is the Latin designation for Scotland)

local long form

Territoire des Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances

local short form

Nouvelle-Calédonie

special collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998; note - independence referenda took place on 4 November 2018, 4 October 2020, and 12 December 2021 with a majority voting in each case to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo; an 18-month transition period is now in place (ending 30 June 2023), during which a referendum on the new status of New Caledonia within France will take place 

embassy

none (overseas territory of France)

none (overseas territory of France)

cabinet

Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by High Commissioner Louise LEFRANC (since 6 February 2023)

election results

2021: Louis MAPOU (PALIKA) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes2019: Thierry SANTA (The Republicans) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes

elections/appointments

French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of New Caledonia elected by Territorial Congress for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 8 July 2021 (next to be held in 2026)

head of government

President of the Government Louis MAPOU (since 22 July 2021)

New Caledonia has two official flags; alongside the flag of France, the Kanak (indigenous Melanesian) flag has equal status; the latter consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a large yellow disk - diameter two-thirds the height of the flag - shifted slightly to the hoist side is edged in black and displays a black fleche faitiere symbol, a native rooftop adornment

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Congress); an overseas collectivity of France

none (overseas collectivity of France); note - in three independence referenda, on 4 November 2018, 4 October 2020, and 12 December 2021, the majority voted to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo; an 18-month transition period is now in place (ending 30 June 2023), during which a referendum on the new status of New Caledonia within France will take place

ITUC (NGOs), PIF, SPC, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WMO

highest court(s)

Court of Appeal in Noumea or Cour d'Appel; organized into civil, commercial, social, and pre-trial investigation chambers; court bench normally includes the court president and 2 counselors); Administrative Court (number of judges NA); note - final appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are referred to the Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (in Paris); final appeals beyond the Administrative Court are referred to the Administrative Court of Appeal (in Paris)

judge selection and term of office

judge appointment and tenure based on France's judicial system

subordinate courts

Courts of First Instance include: civil, juvenile, commercial, labor, police, criminal, assizes, and also a pre-trial investigation chamber; Joint Commerce Tribunal; administrative courts

civil law system based on French civil law

description

unicameral Territorial Congress or Congrès du Territoire (54 seats; members indirectly selected proportionally by the partisan makeup of the 3 Provincial Assemblies or Assemblés Provinciales; members of the 3 Provincial Assemblies directly elected by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Territorial Congress - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Future With Confidence 18, UNI 9, UC 9, CE 7, FLNKS 6, Oceanic Awakening 3, PT 1, LKS 1 (Anti-Independence 28, Pro-Independence 26)French Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2French National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CE 2

elections

Territorial Congress - last held on 12 May 2019 (next to be held by 15 December 2024)French Senate - election last held on 24 September 2023 (next to be held on 30 September 2026)French National Assembly - election last held on 12 and 19 June 2022 (next to be held by June 2027)

note

note 1: the Customary Senate is the assembly of the various traditional councils of the Kanaks, the indigenous population; it rules on laws affecting Kanaks note 2: New Caledonia indirectly elects 2 members to the French Senate and directly elects 2 members to the French National Assembly (see France entry for electoral details)

lyrics/music

Chorale Melodia (a local choir)

name

"Soyons unis, devenons freres" (Let Us Be United, Let Us Become Brothers)

note

note: adopted 2008; contains a mixture of lyrics in both French and Nengone (an indigenous language); as a self-governing territory of France, in addition to the local anthem, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

selected World Heritage Site locales

Lagoons of New Caledonia

total World Heritage Sites

1 (natural); note - excerpted from the France entry

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790); note - the local holiday is New Caledonia Day, 24 September (1853)

fleche faitiere (native rooftop adornment), kagu bird; national colors: gray, red

Caledonia Together or CE Caledonian Union or UC Future With Confidence or AEC Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (alliance includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM) Labor Party or PT National Union for Independence or UNI Oceanian Awakening Party of Kanak Liberation or PALIKA Socialist Kanak Liberation or LKS The Republicans (formerly The Rally or UMP) 

18 years of age; universal

coconuts, vegetables, fruits, maize, beef, pork, eggs, yams, bananas, mangoes/guavas (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$1.993 billion (2015 est.)

revenues

$1.995 billion (2015 est.)

Current account balance 2014

-$1.3 billion (2014 est.)

Current account balance 2015

-$1.119 billion (2015 est.)

Current account balance 2016

-$654.237 million (2016 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

upper-middle-income French Pacific territorial economy; enormous nickel reserves; ongoing French independence negotiations; large Chinese nickel exporter; luxury eco-tourism destination; large French aid recipient; high cost-of-living; lingering wealth disparities

Currency

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

106.589 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

104.711 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

100.88 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

113.474 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

110.347 (2023 est.)

Exports 2019

$1.79 billion (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$1.8 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$1.92 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

iron alloys, nickel ore, nickel, aircraft, essential oils (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

China 62%, South Korea 14%, Japan 12%, Taiwan 2%, Spain 2% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

21% (2017 est.)

government consumption

23.5% (2017 est.)

household consumption

65.6% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-37.9% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

27.9% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

-0.1% (2017 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

1.8% (2019 est.)

industry

22.3% (2019 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

65.2% (2019 est.)

$9.623 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports 2019

$2.48 billion (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$2.1 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$2.26 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, coal, cars, packaged medicine, trucks (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

France 30%, Australia 22%, Singapore 13%, China 6%, Malaysia 6% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

4.3% (2014 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

nickel mining and smelting

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2015

0.57% (2015 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

0.58% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

1.4% (2017 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

119,000 (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Public debt 2015

6.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

note

note: data are in 2015 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016

$10.89 billion (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017

$11.11 billion (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$10.266 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-2.4% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

-2.1% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

3.5% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2014

$32,100 (2014 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2015

$31,100 (2015 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$35,700 (2021 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2020

6.57% of GDP (2020 est.)

Remittances 2021

6.17% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

6.45% of GDP (2022 est.)

20.4% (of GDP) (2015 est.)

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

12.54% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

11.29% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

11.22% (2023 est.)

female

35.7% (2023 est.)

male

29.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

32.6% (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke

2.366 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

2.44 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

4.806 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

1.039 million metric tons (2022 est.)

imports

1.039 million metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves

2 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

2.666 billion kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

1.069 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

66.3 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

83.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

8.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

6.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

wind

2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

16,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

19 (2020 est.)

total

55,000 (2020 est.)

the publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which operates in France's overseas departments and territories, broadcasts over the RFO Nouvelle-Calédonie TV and radio stations; a small number of privately owned radio stations also broadcast

.nc

percent of population

82% (2021 est.)

total

237,800 (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line is 16 per 100 and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership 90 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

New Caledonia’s telecom sector provides fixed and mobile voice services, mobile internet, fixed broadband access, and wholesale services for other ISPs; the territory is well serviced by extensive 3G and LTE networks, and is considered to have one of the highest smartphone adoption rates in the Pacific region; by 2025, smart phone penetration is expected to reach 71%; while DSL is still the dominant fixed broadband technology, and a nationwide FttP network; the South Pacific region has become a hub for submarine cable system developments in recent years, with further networks scheduled to come online later in 2021 and into 2022; these new cables are expected to increase competition in the region with regards to international capacity; in 2020, the government owned telco commissioned Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to build the Gondwana-2 cable system to provide additional network capacity and complement the Gondwana-1 cable (2022)

international

country code - 687; landing points for the Gondwana-1 and Picot-1 providing connectivity via submarine cables around New Caledonia and to Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

16 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

46,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

90 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

260,000 (2021 est.)

21 (2024)

2 (2024)

by type

general cargo 5, oil tanker 1, other 17

total

23 (2023)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

15 (registered in France)

number of registered air carriers

3 (2020) (registered in France)

key ports

Baie de Kouaoua, Baie Ugue, Noumea

ports with oil terminals

1

small

1

total ports

3 (2024)

very small

2

total

5,622 km (2006)

defense is the responsibility of France

no regular military forces; France bases land, air, and naval forces on New Caledonia (Forces Armées de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, FANC) (2024)

carbon dioxide emissions

5.33 megatons (2016 est.)

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

preservation of coral reefs; prevention of invasive species; limiting erosion caused by nickel mining and forest fires

agricultural land

10.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 9.8% (2018 est.)

forest

45.9% (2018 est.)

other

43.7% (2018 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

72.7% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

108,157 tons (2016 est.)