Statistical information New Caledonia 1992

New Caledonia in the World
top of pageBackground: 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 seems to have dissipated.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaTotal: 19,060 km²
Land: 18,760 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 2,254 km
Maritime claimsExclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: none
Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains with interior mountains
ElevationNatural resources: nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
Land use: arable land: NEGL%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 14%; forest and woodland 51%; other 35%
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 174,805 (July 1992), growth rate 1.9% (1992)
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 3.0%
Languages: French; 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Religions: Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 23 births/1000 population (1992)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1000 population (1992)
Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1000 population (1992)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: typhoons most frequent from November to March
Current issues note: located 1,750 km east of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1992)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 91% (male 91%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1976)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
Government type: overseas territory of France since 1956
Capital: Noumea
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
Dependent areasIndependence: none (overseas territory of France; note - a referendum on independence will be held in 1998, with a review of the issue in 1992
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 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
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal adult at age 18
French National Assembly:last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held
June 1993); results - RPR 83.5%, FN 13.5%, other 3%; seats - (2 total) RPCR 2
French Senate: last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) RPCR 1
Territorial Assembly:last held 11 June 1989 (next to be held 1993); results - RPCR 44.5%, FLNKS 28.5%, FN 7%, CD 5%, UO 4%, other 11%; seats - (54 total) RPCR 27, FLNKS 19, FN 3, other 5; note - election boycotted by
FULK
Executive branch:
French President, high commissioner, Consultative
Committee (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO
Diplomatic representation:as an overseas territory of France, New
Caledonian interests are represented in the US by France
Diplomatic representationFlag description
: the flag of France is used
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview:
New Caledonia has more than 25% 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 25% of imports.
GNP: exchange rate conversion - $1.0 billion, per capita $6,000 (1991 est.); real growth rate 2.4% (1988)
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: large areas devoted to cattle grazing; coffee, corn, wheat, vegetables; 60% self-sufficient in beef
Industries: nickel mining
Industrial production growth rate: growth rate NA%
Labor force:
50,469; foreign workers for plantations and mines from
Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu, and French Polynesia (1980 est.)
Organized labor: NA
Unemployment rate: 16.0% (1989)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $224.0 million; expenditures $211.0 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1985)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $671 million (f.o.b., 1989)
Commodoties: nickel metal 87%, nickel ore
Partners: France 52.3%, Japan 15.8%, US 6.4%
Imports: $764 million (c.i.f., 1989)
Commodoties: foods, fuels, minerals, machines, electrical equipment
Partners: France 44.0%, US 10%, Australia 9%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Comptoirs Francais duPacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 97.81 (January 1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30 (1988), 109.27 (1987; note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
top of pageElectricityProduction: 400,000 kW capacity; 2,200 million kWh produced, 12,790 kWh per capita (1990)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresMilitary and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports:
29 total, 27 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marinePorts and terminalstop of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: illicit cannabis cultivation is becoming a principal source of income for some families