2015 Edition

Background

Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became 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 ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.

Area

land

18,275 sq km

total

18,575 sq km

water

300 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Coastline

2,254 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mont Panie 1,628 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

Geographic coordinates

21 30 S, 165 30 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

100 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land 0.4%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 9.8%

agricultural land

10.4%

forest

45.9%

other

43.7% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

cyclones, most frequent from November to March

volcanism

Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active

Natural resources

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

Terrain

coastal plains with interior mountains

Age structure

0-14 years

23.19% (male 32,178/female 30,804)

15-24 years

16.89% (male 23,435/female 22,448)

25-54 years

42.99% (male 58,769/female 57,994)

55-64 years

8.21% (male 10,874/female 11,417)

65 years and over

8.72% (male 10,558/female 13,138) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

15.33 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Death rate

5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

15%

potential support ratio

6.6% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

47.9%

youth dependency ratio

32.9%

Drinking water source

urban: 98.5% of population

rural: 98.5% of population

total: 98.5% of population

urban: 1.5% of population

rural: 1.5% of population

total: 1.5% of population (2015 est.)

Ethnic groups

Kanak 40.3%, European 29.2%, Wallisian, Futunian 8.7%, Tahitian 2%, Indonesian 1.6%, Vietnamese 1%, Ni-Vanuatu 0.9%, other 16.2% (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

4.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

6.33 deaths/1,000 live births

total

5.37 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Life expectancy at birth

female

81.71 years (2015 est.)

male

73.49 years

total population

77.5 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

96.5% (2015 est.)

male

97.3%

total population

96.9%

Major urban areas - population

NOUMEA (capital) 181,000 (2014)

Median age

female

32 years (2015 est.)

male

30.7 years

total

31.4 years

Nationality

adjective

New Caledonian

noun

New Caledonian(s)

Net migration rate

4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population

note

there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2015 est.)

Population

271,615 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

1.38% (2015 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.8 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.97 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.17% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

70.2% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

geographic coordinates

22 16 S, 166 27 E

name

Noumea

time difference

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

Citizenship

see France

Constitution

4 October 1958 (French Constitution with changes as reflected in Noumea Accord of 5 May 1998) (2015)

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

territorial collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress

chief of state

President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012); represented by High Commissioner Jean-Jacques BROT (since 2 February 2013)

election results

Philippe GERMAINE (Caledonia Together) elected president by Territorial Congress; vote NA

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 10 June 2011 (next to be held in June 2016)

head of government

President of the Government Philippe GERMAINE (since 1 April 2015); Vice President Jean-Louis D'ANGLEBERME (since 1 April 2015)

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary representative democracy

Independence

none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but was rejected; a new referendum must be held before 2019

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

highest resident court(s)

Court of Appeal in Noumea or Cour d'Appel; organized into civil, commercial, social, and pre-trial investigation chambers; number of judges NA); Administrative Court; number of judges NA);

judge selection and term of office

NA

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

Legal system

civil law system based on French law; the 1988 Matignon Accords (signed in the Matignon Hotel) set up a 10-year period of development during which the Kanak community received substantial autonomy but agreed not to raise the independence issue

Legislative branch

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

election results

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Caledonia Together 13, FLNKS 9, UMP 7, Union for Caledonia in France 6, Build Our Rainbow Nation 6, National Union for Independence 6, other 7

elections

last held on 11 May 2014 (next to be held on May 2019); note - the government that was elected on 11 May 2014 collapsed within 6 months leading to a new election on 31 December 2015 which re-elected the same government

note

the Customary Senate is the assembly of the various traditional councils of the Kanaks, the indigenous population, which rules on laws affecting the indigenous population; New Caledonia holds two seats in the French Senate; elections last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held not later than September 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2

National anthem

lyrics/music

Chorale Melodia (a local choir)

name

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

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)

National holiday

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1789); note - the local holiday is New Caledonia Day, 24 September (1853)

National symbol(s)

fleche faitiere (native rooftop adornment), kagu bird; national colors: blue, red, green, yellow, black

Political parties and leaders

Build Our Rainbow Nation

Caledonia Together [Philippe GOMES]

Caledonian Union or UC [Daniel GOA]

Future Together (l'Avenir Ensemble) [Harold MARTIN]

Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (alliance includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM) [Roch WAMYTAN]

Labor Party (Parti Travailliste) or PT [Louis Kotra UREGEI]

National Union for Independence (Union Nationale pour l'Independance) or UNI

Party of Kanak Liberation (Parti de Liberation Kanak) or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE]

Socialist Kanak Liberation or LKS [Nidoish NAISSELINE]

The Republicans (formerly The Rally or UMP) [Pierre FROGIER]

Union for Caledonia in France; note - dissolved in July 2014

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

vegetables; beef, venison, other livestock products; fish

Budget

expenditures

$1.072 billion (2001 est.)

revenues

$996 million

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

NA% of GDP

Debt - external

$112 million (31 December 2013 est.)

$79 million (31 December 1998 est.)

Economy - overview

New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel reserves. 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 keys to the health of the economy; during 2009-10, France sent more development assistance to New Caledonia than to any of its other overseas territories. In October 2014, French Prime Minster Manuel VALLS confirmed financial support to New Caledonia totaling $500 million for the period 2016-20. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry — including two major new plants, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years. In 2015 New Caledonia is likely to help fill China’s shortfall in nickel supplies left by an Indonesian ban on nickel ore exports. The new government, which inherited a $112 million deficit in 2013, is expected to focus on bringing the territory’s budget back into balance.

Exchange rates

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

89.85 (2013 est.)

89.8 (2013 est.)

85.74 (2011 est.)

90.01 (2010 est.)

Exports

$1.565 billion (2014 est.)

$1.196 billion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

Exports - partners

France 18.4%, Japan 15.7%, Republic of Korea 12.1% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

19.7%

government consumption

24.5%

household consumption

62%

imports of goods and services

-48%

investment in fixed capital

41.7%

investment in inventories

0.1%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

1.4%

industry

25.9%

services

72.8% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$38,800 (2012 est.)

$36,500 (2010 est.)

$27,300 (2005)

GDP - real growth rate

2.8% (2014 est.)

2.2% (2013)

2.9% (2012)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$11.1 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$11.1 billion (2014 est.)

$10.8 billion (2013 est.)

$10.57 billion (2012)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$3.323 billion (2014 est.)

$3.24 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

France 22.2%, Singapore 18.6%, Australia 10.9% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

6% (2014 est.)

Industries

nickel mining and smelting

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.2% (2014 est.)

1.3% (2013 est.)

Labor force

106,400 (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

2.7%

industry

22.4%

services

74.9% (2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

17.1% (2004)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

3.071 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)

Electricity - consumption

2.716 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

76.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

15.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

7.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

499,200 kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

2.92 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

14,500 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

116.9 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

14,670 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

the publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which operates in France's overseas departments and territories, broadcasts over the RFO Nouvelle Caledonie TV and radio stations; a small number of privately owned radio stations also broadcast (2008)

Internet country code

.nc

Internet users

percent of population

63.1% (2014 est.)

total

169,100

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telephone system

domestic

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 100 per 100 persons

general assessment

a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia and Australia, completed in 2007, increased network capacity and improved high-speed connectivity and access to international networks

international

country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2010)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

33 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

88,500

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

91 (2014 est.)

total

243,100

Television broadcast stations

6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997)

Airports

25 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

914 to 1,523 m

10

over 3,047 m

1

total

12

under 914 m

1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

8 (2013)

914 to 1,523 m

5

total

13

Heliports

8 (2013)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries

3 (France 3) (2010)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Noumea

Roadways

total

5,622 km (2006)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49

68,219 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

55,983 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

56,233

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

2,167 (2010 est.)

male

2,272

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

Military branches

no regular military forces; French military, police, and gendarmerie (2012)

Disputes - international

Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu