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 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 as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.

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: 0.32%
Permanent crops: 0.22%
Other: 99.46% (2005)

Irrigated land: 100 km² (2003)

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: 221,943 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 1.203% (2006 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: 27.9% (male 31,578/female 30,270)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 72,821/female 72,109)
65 years and over: 6.8% (male 7,047/female 8,118) (2006 est.)

Median age
Total: 28.1 years
Male: 27.7 years
Female: 28.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.203% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 17.75 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 5.72 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate
Note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2006 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.043 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.868 male/female
Total population: 1.009 male/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.42 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 8.12 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.69 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.5 years
Male: 71.52 years
Female: 77.63 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (2006 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: 96.2%
Male: 96.8%
Female: 95.5% (1996 census)

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
Name: Noumea
Geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E
Time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Province des Iles Province Nord and Province 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: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2006); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since 9 November 2006)
Head of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since 7 August 2006)
Cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress
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 for a five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 7 August 2006 when Harold MARTIN was elected following the resignation of Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU as president on 24 July 2006 (next to be held in 2012)

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3
Note: New Caledonia currently holds one seat in the French Senate; by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 10 and 17 June 2006 (next to be held on June 2012); 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]; Caledonian Union or UC; 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 (includes PALIKA UNI UC and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independence) 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: ITUC PIF (observer) SPC 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 15% 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 purchasing power parity: $3.158 billion (2003 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $15,000 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 15%
Industry: 8.8%
Services: 76.2% (2003)

Agriculture products: vegetables; beef deer other livestock products; fish

Industries: nickel mining and smelting

Industrial production growth rate: -0.6% (1996)

Labor force: 78,990 (2004)
By occupation agriculture: 20%
By occupation industry: 20%
By occupation services: 60% (2002)

Unemployment rate: 17.1% (2004)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $996 million
Expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.4% (2000 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Exports: $1.085 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: ferronickels nickel ore fish
Partners: Japan 17.8% Taiwan 14.9% France 13.7% China 11.1% Spain 9.7% Belgium 7.5% Italy 6.2% Australia 4.7% (2006)

Imports: $1.78 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment fuels chemicals foodstuffs
Partners: France 38.9% Singapore 15.3% Australia 11.4% NZ 4.8% (2006)

Debt external: $79 million (1998 est.)

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.025 (2006) 95.89 (2005) 96.04 (2004) 105.66 (2003) 126.71 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 1.508 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 1.403 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2005 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 55,300 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 134,300 (2005)

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

Internet
Country code: .nc
Hosts: 14,252 (2006)
Users: 80,000 (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: NA

Airports: 25 (2006)
With paved runways total: 12
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 13
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (2006)

Heliports: 6 (2006)

Roadways
Total: 5,432 km (2000)

Merchant marine
Total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT
By type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals: Noumea

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