New Caledonia

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

noun:

New Caledonian(s)

adjective:

New Caledonian

total:

34.3 years (2024 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 (2024 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:

• British explorer Captain James COOK discovered and named New Caledonia in 1774;
• he used the appellation because the northeast of the island reminded him of Scotland (Caledonia is the Latin designation for Scotland)

• special collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998;
• note - independence referenda took place on 4 November 2018, 4 October 2020, and 12 December 2021 with a majority voting in each case to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo;
• an 18-month transition period is now in place (ending 30 June 2023), during which a referendum on the new status of New Caledonia within France will take place

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, in order to avoid any confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique;
• the New Caledonian language of Ndrumbea (also spelled Ndumbea, Dubea, and Drubea) spoken in the area gave its name to the capital city, Noumea, as well as to the neighboring town (suburb) of Dumbea

• none (overseas collectivity of France);
• note - in three independence referenda, on 4 November 2018, 4 October 2020, and 12 December 2021, the majority voted to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo;
• an 18-month transition period is now in place (ending 30 June 2023), during which a referendum on the new status of New Caledonia within France will take place

history:

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

amendments:

French constitution amendment procedures apply

chief of state:

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by High Commissioner Louise LEFRANC (since 6 February 2023)

head of government:

President of the Government Louis MAPOU (since 22 July 2021)

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 8 July 2021 (next to be held in 2026)

election results:

2021: Louis MAPOU (PALIKA) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes; 2019: Thierry SANTA (The Republicans) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes

highest court(s):

• Court of Appeal in Noumea 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);
• 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)

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

• 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)

• 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

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:

32.6% (2023 est.)

male:

29.8% (2023 est.)

female:

35.7% (2023 est.)

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

consumption:

1.039 million metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

1.039 million metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

2 million metric tons (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• New Caledonia’s telecom sector provides fixed and mobile voice services, mobile internet, fixed broadband access, and wholesale services for other ISPs;
• the territory is well serviced by extensive 3G and LTE networks, and is considered to have one of the highest smartphone adoption rates in the Pacific region;
• by 2025, smart phone penetration is expected to reach 71%;
• while DSL is still the dominant fixed broadband technology, and a nationwide FttP network;
• the South Pacific region has become a hub for submarine cable system developments in recent years, with further networks scheduled to come online later in 2021 and into 2022;
• these new cables are expected to increase competition in the region with regards to international capacity;
• in 2020, the government owned telco commissioned Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to build the Gondwana-2 cable system to provide additional network capacity and complement the Gondwana-1 cable (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line is 16 per 100 and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership 90 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

• country code - 687;
• landing points for the Gondwana-1 and Picot-1 providing connectivity via submarine cables around New Caledonia and to Australia;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

• 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