Background: 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 and early 1990s has dissipated.

Geographic coordinates: 21 30 S 165 30 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 19,060 km²
Land: 18,575 km²
Water: 485 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2,254 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot humid

Terrain: coastal plains with interior mountains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m

Natural resources: nickel chrome iron cobalt manganese silver gold lead copper

Land use
Arable land: 0.38%
Permanent crops: 0.33%
Other: 99.29% (2001)

Irrigated land: 160 km² (1991)

Natural hazards: cyclones most frequent from November to March

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

Population: 213,679 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 1.33% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: New Caledonian
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%

Languages: French (official) 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Religions: Roman Catholic 60% Protestant 30% other 10%

Age structure
0-14 years: 29.4% (male 32,076; female 30,772)
15-64 years: 64.3% (male 69,150; female 68,310)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 6,259; female 7,112) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 27.2 years
Male: 26.9 years
Female: 27.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.33% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 18.98 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 5.64 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Environment
Current issues: erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.89 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 8.59 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 7.14 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.78 years
Male: 70.82 years
Female: 76.89 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91%
Male: 92%
Female: 90% (1976 est.)

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

Government type: NA

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

Independence: none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014

National holiday: Bastille Day 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner Daniel CONSTANTIN (since 3 July 2002)
Head of government: President of the Government Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU (since 10 June 2004)
Cabinet: Consultative Committee
Elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year 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; note - last election held 29 June 2004 when Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU was elected on the third vote with 8 votes for and 3 abstentions

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UE 7, FN 4, others 3
Note: New Caledonia currently holds 1 seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2007; between now and 2010 New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; New Caledonia also elects 2 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 and 16 June 2002 (next to be held by June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caleonian Union or UC [leader NA]; 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 [leader NA] (includes PALIKA UNI UC and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independent) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist but Paul NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO]

International organization participation: FZ ICFTU PIF (observer) UPU WFTU WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of France)
From the us: none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

Economy overview: New 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 one-fourth of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health 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 years.

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2001 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5%
Industry: 30%
Services: 65% (1997 est.)

Agriculture products: vegetables; beef deer other livestock products

Industries: nickel mining and smelting

Industrial production growth rate: -0.6% (1996)

Labor force: 79,400 (including 15,018 unemployed 1996)
By occupation agriculture: 7%
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation services: 70% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 19% (1996)

Population below poverty line: NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Budget
Revenues: $861.3 million
Expenditures: $735.3 million, including capital expenditures of $52 million (1996 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: -0.6% (2000 est.)

Exports: $448 million f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: ferronickels nickel ore fish
Partners: Japan 21.8% France 19.2% Taiwan 14% Spain 11% South Korea 8.5% Australia 7.2% Italy 5.1% (2003)

Imports: $1.007 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: machinery and equipment fuels chemicals foodstuffs
Partners: France 46.1% Australia 9.5% Singapore 9.3% New Zealand 4.3% (2003)

Debt external: $79 million (1998 est.)

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 105.73 (2003) 126.72 (2002) 133.26 (2001) 129.44 (2000) 111.93 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 1.613 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 1.5 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 52,000 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 80,000 (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .nc
Hosts: 4,449 (2003)
Users: 60,000 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: NA
Percent of gdp: NA

Airports: 25 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 14
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 6 (2003 est.)

Merchant marine
Total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,261 GRT/1,600 DWT
By type: cargo 1
Foreign owned: Malaysia 1
Registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)

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