New Caledonia
Territory of New Caledonia and DependenciesTerritoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances
parliamentary representative democracyIndependence none (overseas territory of France)
New Caledonia as the 2015 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 136 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became 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 a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
Geography
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
17 fieldsLand use
- agricultural land:
- 10.4%;
- arable land 0.4%;
- permanent crops 0.2%;
- permanent pasture 9.8%
- forest:
- 45.9%
- other:
- 43.7% (2011 est.)
Natural hazards
cyclones, most frequent from November to March; volcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active
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 and Society
24 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2015 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female(2015 est.)
Ethnic groups
Kanak 40.3%, European 29.2%, Wallisian, Futunian 8.7%, Tahitian 2%, Indonesian 1.6%, Vietnamese 1%, Ni-Vanuatu 0.9%, other 16.2% (2009 est.)
Net migration rate
4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 32
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.95 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.8 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Government
Parliamentary representative democracy; President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012); President of the Government Philippe GERMAINE (since 1 April 2015)
22 fieldsTerritorial Congress or Congres du Territoire, 48 seats, elected 11 May 2014one dot, one seat
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
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
3 provinces; Province Iles (Islands Province), Province Nord (North Province), and Province Sud (South Province)
Independence
- none (overseas territory of France);
- note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but was rejected;
- a new referendum must be held before 2019
National holiday
Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1789); note - the local holiday is New Caledonia Day, 24 September (1853)
Constitution
4 October 1958 (French Constitution with changes as reflected in Noumea Accord of 5 May 1998) (2015)
Legal system
civil law system based on French law; the 1988 Matignon Accords (signed in the Matignon Hotel) set up a 10-year period of development during which the Kanak community received substantial autonomy but agreed not to raise the independence issue
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012); represented by High Commissioner Jean-Jacques BROT (since 2 February 2013)
- head of government:
- President of the Government Philippe GERMAINE (since 1 April 2015); Vice President Jean-Louis D'ANGLEBERME (since 1 April 2015)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress
- elections/appointments:
- 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);
- election last held on 10 June 2011 (next to be held in June 2016)
- election results:
- Philippe GERMAINE (Caledonia Together) elected president by Territorial Congress; vote NA
Legislative branch
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres du Territoire (54 seats; members indirectly selected proportionally by the partisan makeup of the 3 Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales; members of the 3 Provincial Assemblies directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
note: the Customary Senate is the assembly of the various traditional councils of the Kanaks, the indigenous population, which rules on laws affecting the indigenous population;
New Caledonia holds two seats in the French Senate; elections last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held not later than September 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly;
elections last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2
- elections:
- last held on 11 May 2014 (next to be held on May 2019);
- note - the government that was elected on 11 May 2014 collapsed within 6 months leading to a new election on 31 December 2015 which re-elected the same government
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Caledonia Together 13, FLNKS 9, UMP 7, Union for Caledonia in France 6, Build Our Rainbow Nation 6, National Union for Independence 6, other 7
Judicial branch
- highest resident court(s):
- Court of Appeal in Noumea or Cour d'Appel;
- organized into civil, commercial, social, and pre-trial investigation chambers;
- number of judges NA);
- Administrative Court;
- number of judges NA);
- judge selection and term of office:
- NA
- 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
Political parties and leaders
- Build Our Rainbow Nation
- Caledonia Together [Philippe GOMES]
- Caledonian Union or UC [Daniel GOA]
- Future Together (l'Avenir Ensemble) [Harold MARTIN]
- Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (alliance includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM) [Roch WAMYTAN]
- Labor Party (Parti Travailliste) or PT [Louis Kotra UREGEI]
- National Union for Independence (Union Nationale pour l'Independance) or UNI
- Party of Kanak Liberation (Parti de Liberation Kanak) or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE]
- Socialist Kanak Liberation or LKS [Nidoish NAISSELINE]
- The Republicans (formerly The Rally or UMP) [Pierre FROGIER]
- Union for Caledonia in France; note - dissolved in July 2014
International organization participation
ITUC (NGOs), PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WMO
Flag description
- New Caledonia has two official flags;
- alongside the flag of France, the Kanak (indigenous Melanesian) flag has equal status;
- the latter consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green;
- a large yellow disk - diameter two-thirds the height of the flag - shifted slightly to the hoist side is edged in black and displays a black fleche faitiere symbol, a native rooftop adornment
National symbol(s)
fleche faitiere (native rooftop adornment), kagu bird; national colors: blue, red, green, yellow, black
National anthem
- name:
- "Soyons unis, devenons freres" (Let Us Be United, Let Us Become Brothers)
- lyrics/music:
- Chorale Melodia (a local choir)
note: adopted 2008; contains a mixture of lyrics in both French and Nengone (an indigenous language); as a self-governing territory of France, in addition to the local anthem,
"La Marseillaise" is official (see France)
Economy
New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel reserves.
28 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2014 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP
Economy - overview
New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel reserves. 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;
during 2009-10, France sent more development assistance to New Caledonia than to any of its other overseas territories. In October 2014, French Prime Minster Manuel VALLS confirmed financial support to New Caledonia totaling $500 million for the period 2016-20. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry — including two major new plants, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years.
In 2015 New Caledonia is likely to help fill China’s shortfall in nickel supplies left by an Indonesian ban on nickel ore exports. The new government, which inherited a $112 million deficit in 2013, is expected to focus on bringing the territory’s budget back into balance.
Debt - external
$112 million (31 December 2013 est.) · $79 million (31 December 1998 est.) country comparison to the world: 193
Exchange rates
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 89.85 (2013 est.) · 89.8 (2013 est.) · 85.74 (2011 est.) · 90.01 (2010 est.)
Energy
23 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 499,200 kW(2012 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy
3.071 million Mt (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 139
Communications
8 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2014 est.)
Telephone system
- general assessment:
- a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia and Australia, completed in 2007, increased network capacity and improved high-speed connectivity and access to international networks
- domestic:
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 100 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2010)
Broadcast media
- the publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which operates in France's overseas departments and territories, broadcasts over the RFO Nouvelle Caledonie TV and radio stations;
- a small number of privately owned radio stations also broadcast (2008)
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
Merchant marine
registered in other countries: 3 (France 3) (2010) country comparison to the world: 137
Military
No regular military forces; French military, police, and gendarmerie (2012)
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “New Caledonia.” The World Factbook 2015. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/new-caledonia/2015.