New Caledonia

• tropical;
• modified by southeast trade winds;
• hot, humid

noun:

New Caledonian(s)

adjective:

New Caledonian

total:

34.6 years (2025 est.)

male:

33.5 years

female:

35.1 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.77 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

4.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

79.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

75.4 years

female:

83.3 years

• preservation of coral reefs;
• prevention of invasive species;
• limiting erosion caused by nickel mining and forest fires

• tropical;
• modified by southeast trade winds;
• hot, humid

urban population:

72.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

conventional long form:

Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies

conventional short form:

New Caledonia

local long form:

Territoire des Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances

local short form:

Nouvelle-Calédonie

etymology:

the name came from British explorer Captain James COOK in 1774 and uses the Latin name for Scotland, Caledonia

name:

Noumea

geographic coordinates:

22 16 S, 166 27 E

time difference:

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

• established in 1854 as Port-de-France, the settlement was renamed Noumea in 1866 to avoid confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique;
• the name Noumea may come from the local name of the peninsula the city was founded on

history:

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

amendment process:

French constitution amendment procedures apply

chief of state:

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by High Commissioner Jacques BILLANT (since 3 May 2025)

head of government:

President of the Government Alcide PONGA (since 8 January 2025)

cabinet:

Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress

election/appointment process:

• 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)

most recent election date:

8 July 2021

election results:

2025: Alcide PONGA (The Republicans) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes; 2021: Louis MAPOU (PALIKA) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes

expected date of next election:

2026

highest court(s):

• Court of Appeal 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)

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

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)

• Caledonia Together or CE
• Caledonian Union or UC
• Future With Confidence or AEC
• Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (alliance includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM)
• Labor Party or PT
• National Union for Independence or UNI
• Oceanian Awakening
• Party of Kanak Liberation or PALIKA
• Socialist Kanak Liberation or LKS
• The Republicans (formerly The Rally or UMP)

description:

• the country has two official flags with equal status, the flag of France and the Kanak (ethnic Melanesian) flag;
• the latter consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green;
• a large yellow disk shifted slightly to the left side is edged in black and displays a black fleche faîtière symbol, a native rooftop adornment

• the emblem features two symbols of the local Kanak people: the flèche faîtière, which is a common rooftop adornment on houses, and the nautilus shell, which represents the sea;
• the third part of the emblem is a stylized representation of a New Caledonia pine tree

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (natural); note - excerpted from the France entry

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Lagoons of New Caledonia

• upper-middle-income French Pacific territorial economy;
• enormous nickel reserves;
• ongoing French independence negotiations;
• large Chinese nickel exporter;
• luxury eco-tourism destination;
• large French aid recipient;
• high cost-of-living;
• lingering wealth disparities

agriculture:

1.8% (2019 est.)

industry:

22.3% (2019 est.)

services:

65.2% (2019 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

32.7% (2024 est.)

male:

30.2% (2024 est.)

female:

35.7% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

consumption:

1.026 million metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

1.001 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

2 million metric tons (2023 est.)

• the publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which operates in France's overseas departments and territories, broadcasts over the RFO Nouvelle-Calédonie TV and radio stations;
• a small number of privately owned radio stations also broadcast

total ports:

3 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

1

very small:

2

ports with oil terminals:

1

key ports:

Baie de Kouaoua, Baie Ugue, Noumea