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| 1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006) | ||
New Caledonia
n 1: an island to the to the east of Australia and to the north
of New Zealand
| ||
| 2. CIA World Factbook 2002 | ||
New Caledonia
Introduction New Caledonia
--------------------------
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 seems to have
dissipated.
Geography New Caledonia
-----------------------
Location: Oceania, islands in the South
Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
Geographic coordinates: 21 30 S, 165 30 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 19,060 sq km
water: 485 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 2,254 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; modified by southeast
trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains with interior
mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
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% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 160 sq km (1991)
Natural hazards: cyclones, most frequent from
November to March
Environment - current issues: erosion caused by mining
exploitation and forest fires
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
People New Caledonia
--------------------
Population: 207,858 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30% (male 31,862; female
30,577)
15-64 years: 64.1% (male 67,043;
female 66,102)
65 years and over: 5.9% (male 5,777;
female 6,497) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.43% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 19.91 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.27 years
female: 76.36 years (2002 est.)
male: 70.32 years
Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
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%
Religions: Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%,
other 10%
Languages: French (official), 33 Melanesian-
Polynesian dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 91%
male: 92%
female: 90% (1976 est.)
Government New Caledonia
------------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of
New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form: New
Caledonia
local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie
local long form: Territoire des
Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances
Dependency status: overseas territory of France since
1956
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
Thierry LATASTE (since 19 July 1999)
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
head of government: President of the
Government Pierre FROGIER (since 5
April 2001)
cabinet: Consultative Committee
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Congress or
Congres Territorial (54 seats;
members are members of the three
Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees
Provinciales elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 May 1999
(next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - RPCR
24, FLNKS 12, UNI 6, FCCI 4, FN 4,
Alliance pour la Caledonie 3, LKS 1
note: New Caledonia elects 1 seat to
the French Senate; elections last
held 24 September 2001 (next to be
held NA September 2007); 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 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be
held: first round - 9 June 2002;
second round 16 June 2002); results
- percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - RPR 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]; Federation des
Comites de Coordination des
Independantistes or FCCI [Raphael
MAPOU]; Front National or FN [Guy
GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation
Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak
Socialist Front for National
Liberation or FLNKS [Rock WAMYTAN]
(includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM);
Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA
[Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE];
Rally for Caledonia in the Republic
or RPCR [Jacques LAFLEUR]; 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]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC,
participation: WFTU, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the none (overseas territory of France)
US:
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Economy New Caledonia
---------------------
Economy - overview: New Caledonia has about 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 small amount of the land is
suitable for cultivation, and food
accounts for about 20% of imports.
In addition to nickel, the
substantial financial support from
France and tourism are keys to the
health of the economy. The situation
in 1998 was clouded by the spillover
of financial problems in East Asia
and by lower prices for nickel.
Nickel prices jumped in 1999-2000,
and large additions were made to
capacity. Strikes in the building
industry in 2001, which lasted four
months, adversely affected many
other sectors of the economy. French
Government interests in the New
Caledonian nickel industry are being
transferred to local ownership.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.1
billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.1% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,000
(2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 30%
services: 65% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 79,395 (including 15,018 unemployed,
1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 7%, industry 23%,
services 70% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 19% (1996)
Budget: revenues: $861.3 million
expenditures: $735.3 million,
including capital expenditures of
$52 million (1996 est.)
Industries: nickel mining and smelting
Industrial production growth rate: -0.6% (1996)
Electricity - production: 1.565 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 77.64%
hydro: 22.36%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 1.455 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: vegetables; beef, deer, other
livestock products
Exports: $400 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: ferronickels, nickel ore, fish
Exports - partners: Japan 25.8%, France 18.8%, Taiwan
12%, Australia 8.2%, US 3.0% (1999)
Imports: $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities: transport equipment, machinery and
electrical equipment, fuels,
minerals, wine, sugar, rice
Imports - partners: France 50.2%, Australia 15.1%,
Singapore 5.9%, New Zealand 5.2%,
Japan 3.7% (1999)
Debt - external: $79 million (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $880 million annual subsidy from
France
Currency: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique
franc (XPF)
Currency code: XPF
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique
francs (XPF) per US dollar - 135.04
(January 2002), 133.26 (2001),
129.44 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25
(1998), 106.11 (1997); note - linked
at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the
euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications New Caledonia
----------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 47,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 13,040 (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 107,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters)
(1997)
Televisions: 52,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .nc
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 24,000 (2001)
Transportation New Caledonia
----------------------------
Railways: 0 km (2002)
Highways: total: 4,825 km
paved: 2,287 km
unpaved: 2,538 km (1999)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Mueo, Noumea, Thio
Merchant marine: total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 1,261 GRT/1,600 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1
note: includes a foreign-owned ship
registered here as a flag of
convenience: Malaysia 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 29 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 11 (2001)
Heliports: 6 (2001)
Military New Caledonia
----------------------
Military branches: no regular indigenous military
forces; French Armed Forces
(including Army, Navy, Air Force,
Gendarmerie); Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar $192.3 million (FY96)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 5.3% (FY96)
GDP:
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of
France
Transnational Issues New Caledonia
----------------------------------
Disputes - international: Matthew and Hunter Islands east of
New Caledonia claimed by France and
Vanuatu
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