2018 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 two decades transferred an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. In a referendum held in November 2018, residents rejected independence and decided to retain their territorial status, although two additional referendums may occur in 2020 and 2022, per the Noumea Accord.

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

0 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean

note

1628 highest point: Mont Panie

Environment Current Issues

preservation of coral reefs; prevention of invasive species; limiting erosion caused by nickel mining 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 (2012)

Land Boundaries

0 km

Land Use

arable land: 0.4% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0.2% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 9.8% (2011 est.)

agricultural land

10.4% (2011 est.)

forest

45.9% (2011 est.)

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 Marchvolcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active

Natural Resources

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

Population Distribution

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

Terrain

coastal plains with interior mountains

Age Structure

0-14 years

22.19% (male 32,057 /female 30,675)

15-24 years

16.16% (male 23,355 /female 22,349)

25-54 years

43.66% (male 62,227 /female 61,215)

55-64 years

8.57% (male 11,713 /female 12,530)

65 years and over

9.42% (male 11,790 /female 14,843) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

14.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Death Rate

5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

elderly dependency ratio

14.4 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio

6.9 (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

48.3 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio

33.9 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

improved: urban: 98.5% of population

rural: 98.5% of population

total: 98.5% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.5% of population

rural: 1.5% of population

total: 1.5% of population (2015 est.)

Ethnic Groups

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.)

Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate

NA

Hiv Aids Deaths

NA

Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids

NA

Infant Mortality Rate

female

4.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male

6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

total

5.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Life Expectancy At Birth

female

82.2 years (2018 est.)

male

74.1 years (2018 est.)

total population

78 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

female

96.5% (2015 est.)

male

97.3% (2015 est.)

total population

96.9% (2015 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases

note

active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Major Urban Areas Population

198,000 NOUMEA (capital) (2018)

Median Age

female

33 years (2018 est.)

male

31.5 years

total

32.3 years

Nationality

adjective

New Caledonian

noun

New Caledonian(s)

Net Migration Rate

3.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

note

there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia

Physicians Density

2.22 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

282,754 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.3% (2018 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation Facility Access

improved: urban: 100% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 100% of population (2015 est.)

total: 100% of population (2015 est.)

unimproved: urban: 0% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 0% of population (2015 est.)

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Sex Ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over

0.8 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population

1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.92 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

female

40% (2014 est.)

male

37.1% (2014 est.)

total

38.4% (2014 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.89% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population

70.7% of total population (2018)

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

note

see France

Constitution

amendments

French constitution amendment procedures apply

history

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

Country Name

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-Caledonie et Dependances

local short form

Nouvelle-Caledonie

Dependency Status

territorial collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998; an independence referendum took place on 4 November 2018 with a majority voting to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo; two additional referenda, still unsceheduled, may occur in 2020 and 2022

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

note

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

note

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive Branch

cabinet

Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by High Commissioner Thierry LATASTE (since 20 June 2016)

election results

Philippe GERMAIN(Caledonia Together) reelected 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 31 August 2017 (next to be held in 2022)

head of government

President of the Government Philippe GERMAIN (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 democracy (Territorial Congress); an overseas collectivity of France

Independence

none none (overseas collectivity of France); note - an independence referendum took place on 4 November 2018 with a majority voting to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo

International Organization Participation

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

Judicial Branch

highest courts

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

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

description

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); 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 populationNew Caledonia indirectly elects 2 members to the French Senate by an electoral colleges for a 6-year term with one seat renewed every 3 years and directly elects 2 members to the French National Assembly by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term

election results

Territorial Congress - percent of vote by party - N/A; seats by party - seats by party - CE 13, FLNKS 9, UMP 7, Union for Caledonia in France 6, Build Our Rainbow Nation 6, UNI 6, other 7; composition - men 30, women 24, percent of women 44.4% 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 11 May 2014 (next to be held in May 2019); note - the government that was elected on 11 May 2014 collapsed within 6 months leading to a new election on 31 December 2014, which reelected the same governmentFrench Senate - election last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held not later than 2019)French National Assembly - election last held on 11 and 18 June 2017 (next to be held by June 2022)

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 (1790); note - the local holiday is New Caledonia Day, 24 September (1853)

National Symbol S

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

Political Parties And Leaders

Build Our Rainbow NationCaledonia Together or CE [Philippe GERMAIN]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 UNIParty 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) [interim leader Thierry SANTA]Union for Caledonia in France

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture Products

vegetables; beef, venison, other livestock products; fish

Budget

expenditures

1.993 billion (2015 est.)

revenues

1.995 billion (2015 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

0% (of GDP) (2015 est.)

Current Account Balance

-$1.469 billion (2014 est.)

-$1.861 billion (2013 est.)

Debt External

$112 million (31 December 2013 est.)

note

$79 million (31 December 1998 est.)

Economy Overview

New Caledonia has 11% of the world's nickel reserves, representing the second largest reserves on the planet. 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.With the gradual increase in the production of two new nickel plants in 2015, average production of metallurgical goods stood at a record level of 94 thousand tons. However, the sector is exposed to the high volatility of nickel prices, which have been in decline since 2016. In 2017, one of the three major mining firms on the island, Vale, put its operations up for sale, triggering concerns of layoffs ahead of the 2018 independence referendum.

Exchange Rates

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

110.2 (2017 est.)

107.84 (2016 est.)

107.84 (2015 est.)

89.85 (2013 est.)

90.56 (2012 est.)

Exports

$2.207 billion (2014 est.)

Exports Commodities

ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

Exports Partners

China 25.4%, Japan 16.6%, South Korea 14.8%, France 8.2%, Belgium 5%, US 4.6% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

Gdp Composition By End Use

exports of goods and services

18.7% (2017 est.)

government consumption

24% (2017 est.)

household consumption

64.3% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-45.5% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

38.4% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0% (2017 est.)

Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin

agriculture

1.4% (2017 est.)

industry

26.4% (2017 est.)

services

72.1% (2017 est.)

Gdp Official Exchange Rate

$9.77 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Gdp Per Capita Ppp

$31,100 (2015 est.)

$32,100 (2014 est.)

$29,800 (2012 est.)

Gdp Purchasing Power Parity

$11.11 billion (2017 est.)

$10.89 billion (2016 est.)

$10.77 billion (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2015 dollars

Gdp Real Growth Rate

2% (2017 est.)

1.1% (2016 est.)

3.2% (2015 est.)

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

NA

Imports

$2.715 billion (2015 est.)

$4.4 billion (2014 est.)

Imports Commodities

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports Partners

France 24.2%, Singapore 13.1%, China 9.2%, Australia 7.1%, South Korea 5.2%, Malaysia 4.7%, NZ 4.4%, US 4.4% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

3.5% (2017 est.)

Industries

nickel mining and smelting

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

1.4% (2017 est.)

0.6% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

119,500 (2016 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

agriculture

2.7%

industry

22.4%

services

74.9% (2010)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

note

NA

Population Below Poverty Line

17% (2008)

Public Debt

6.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

6.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

$658.2 million (2015 est.)

$593.8 million (2014 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home

$16.43 billion (2015 est.)

$14.55 billion (2014 est.)

Stock Of Domestic Credit

$9.522 billion (2015 est.)

Taxes And Other Revenues

20.4% (of GDP) (2015 est.)

Unemployment Rate

14.7% (2014)

14% (2009)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

6.165 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

electrification - rural areas

45% (2012)

electrification - total population

59% (2012)

electrification - urban areas

68% (2012)

population without electricity

112,895 (2012)

Electricity Consumption

2.739 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

87% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

8% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

6% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

996,200 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

2.945 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

20,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

19,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

0 bbl/day (2015 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

74% (July 2016 est.)

total

201,000 (July 2016 est.)

Telephone System

domestic

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 120 per 100 persons (2015)

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 (2015)

international

country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2015)

Telephones Fixed Lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

34 (July 2016 est.)

total subscriptions

92,000 (July 2016 est.)

Telephones Mobile Cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

91 (July 2016 est.)

total subscriptions

246,000 (July 2016 est.)

Airports

25 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

914 to 1,523 m

10 (2017)

over 3,047 m

1 (2017)

total

12 (2017)

under 914 m

1 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

914 to 1,523 m

5 (2013)

total

13 (2013)

under 914 m

8 (2013)

Heliports

8 (2013)

Merchant Marine

by type

general cargo 2, other 7 (2017)

total

9 (2017)

National Air Transport System

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

10 (registered in France) (2015)

number of registered air carriers

2 (registered in France) (2015)

Ports And Terminals

major seaport(s)

Noumea

Roadways

total

5,622 km (2006)

Military Branches

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

Military Note

defense is the responsibility of France

Disputes International

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