New Caledonia

Airports

total: 30 usable: 28 with permanent-surface runways: 4 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1

Highways

total: 6,340 km paved: 634 km unpaved: 5,706 km (1987)

Ports

Noumea, Nepoui, Poro, Thio

Telecommunications

32,578 telephones (1987); broadcast stations - 5 AM, 3 FM, 7 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Gendarmerie, Police Force

Note

defense is the responsibility of France

Agriculture

large areas devoted to cattle grazing; coffee, corn, wheat, vegetables; 60% self-sufficient in beef

Budget

revenues: $224 million expenditures: $211 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1985 est.)

Currency

1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.185 billion

Electricity

capacity: 400,000 kW production: 2.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 12,790 kWh (1990)

Exchange rates

Comptoirs Francais duPacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 107.63 (January 1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc

Exports

$671 million (f.o.b., 1989) commodities: nickel metal 87%, nickel ore partners: France 32%, Japan 23.5%, US 3.6%

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

illicit cannabis cultivation is becoming a principal source of income for some families

Imports

$764 million (c.i.f., 1989) commodities: foods, fuels, minerals, machines, electrical equipment partners: France 44.0%, US 10%, Australia 9%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

nickel mining and smelting

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.4% (1990)

National product

GNP - exchange rate conversion - $1 billion (1991 est.)

National product per capita

$6,000 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

2.4% (1988)

Overview

New Caledonia has more than 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 negligible amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 25% of imports.

Unemployment rate

16% (1989)

Area

total area: 19,060 sq km land area: 18,760 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Coastline

2,254 km

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: typhoons most frequent from November to March international agreements: NA

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 14% forest and woodland: 51% other: 35%

Location

Oceania, Melanesia, in the South Pacific Ocean, 1,750 km east of Australia

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper

Terrain

coastal plains with interior mountains

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

Capital

Noumea

Constitution

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Digraph

NC

Diplomatic representation in US

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981) head of government: High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government Alain CHRISTNACHT (since 15 January 1991; appointed by the French Ministry of the Interior); President of the Territorial Congress Simon LOUECKHOTE (since 26 June 1989) cabinet: Consultative Committee

Flag

the flag of France is used

French National Assembly

elections last held 21 March 1993 (next to be held 21 and 28 March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) RPCR 2

French Senate

elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held September 2001); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) RPCR 1

Independence

none (overseas territory of France; a referendum on independence will be held in 1998)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal

Legal system

the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands; formerly under French law

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WFTU, WMO

Names

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

National holiday

National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Political parties and leaders

white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique (RPCR), conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR - affiliated to France's Rassemblement pour la Republique (RPR); Melanesian proindependence Kanaka Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), Paul NEAOUTYINE; Melanesian moderate Kanak Socialist Liberation (LKS), Nidoish NAISSELINE; National Front (FN), extreme right, Guy GEORGE; Caledonie Demain (CD), right-wing, Bernard MARANT; Union Oceanienne (UO), conservative, Michel HEMA; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak (FULK), proindependence, Clarence UREGEI; Union Caledonian (UC), Francois BURCK

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Territorial Assembly

elections last held 11 June 1989 (next to be held 1993); results - RPCR 44.5%, FLNKS 28.5%, FN 7%, CD 5%, UO 4%, other 11%; seats - (54 total) RPCR 27, FLNKS 19, FN 3, other 5; note - election boycotted by FULK

Type

overseas territory of France since 1956

US diplomatic representation

none (overseas territory of France)

Birth rate

22.39 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

4.96 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3%

Infant mortality rate

15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

50,469 foreign workers for plantations and mines from Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu, and French Polynesia (1980 est.) by occupation: NA

Languages

French, 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.62 years male: 70.32 years female: 77.09 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1976) total population: 91% male: 91% female: 90%

Nationality

noun: New Caledonian(s) adjective: New Caledonian

Net migration rate

0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

181,309 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

1.79% (1994 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%

Total fertility rate

2.62 children born/woman (1994 est.)