'New Caledonia'
[1] (
French: ''Nouvelle-Calédonie''; popular names: ''Kanaky'', ''Le caillou''), is a "''
sui generis'' collectivity" (in practice an
overseas territory) of
France, made up of a main
island (''Grande Terre''), the
Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands. It is located in the
region of
Melanesia in the southwest
Pacific. At about half the size of
Taiwan, it has a land area of 18,575.5
square kilometres (7,172
sq mi). The population was 240,400 inhabitants as of January 2007 official estimates.
It has an
Internet country code top-level domain (
ccTLD) of
.nc. The capital and largest city of the territory is
Nouméa. The currency is the
CFP franc.
Since 1986 the
United Nations Committee on
Decolonization has included New Caledonia on the
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories (a disputed list which also includes the
UK's
Falkland Islands,
New Zealand's
Tokelau, and
American Samoa). New Caledonia will decide whether to remain within the French Republic or become an independent state in a
referendum sometime after 2014.
Its capital
Nouméa is the seat of the
regional organization the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (formerly the South Pacific Commission).
Origin of the name
The name ''
Caledonia'' derives from the
Latin name of an area corresponding to modern
Scotland. The name ''Kanaky'' is also in common usage in French, English and the indigenous languages. This name is favored by
Melanesian nationalists. The word comes from ''kanaka'', a
Hawai`ian word (elsewhere ''tangata'' and variants) meaning "human/person/people", used by Polynesians to refer to themselves. The word was later used by the French about all the indigenous inhabitants of the South Pacific Ocean, including the Melanesian (non-Polynesian) native inhabitants of New Caledonia. The word, turned into ''Canaque'' in French, became derogatory. In the 1960s and 1970s, when the Melanesian native inhabitants started to organize themselves into political parties and call for independence, the word was transformed into a symbol of political emancipation and pride. In 1983, during the period of political turmoil, the terms ''Kanak'' and ''Kanaky'' became political brand names and colonial whites (
Caldoches) realized the name had changed into a political statement.
History
The western
Pacific was first populated about 50,000 years ago. The Austronesians moved into the area later. The diverse group of people that settled over the
Melanesian archipelagos are known as the
Lapita. They arrived in the
archipelago now commonly known as New Caledonia and the
Loyalty Islands around 1500 BC. The
Lapita were highly skilled navigators and agriculturists with influence over a large area of the
Pacific.
From about the 11th century Polynesians also arrived and mixed with the populations of the archipelago.
Europeans first sighted New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the late 18th century. The British explorer
James Cook sighted
Grande Terre in 1774 and named it ''New Caledonia'', Caledonia being the Latin name for Scotland. During the same voyage he also named the islands to the north of New Caledonia the
New Hebrides (now
Vanuatu), after the islands north of Scotland.
British
whalers from Australia created an oil extraction station at New Caledonia but weren't welcome.
Sandalwood traders were more welcome but as supplies diminished, the traders became abusive. The Europeans brought new diseases such as
smallpox,
measles,
dysentery,
influenza,
syphilis and
leprosy. Many people died as a result of these diseases. Tensions developed into hostilities and in 1849 the crew of the ''Cutter'' were killed and eaten by the Pouma clan.
As trade in
sandalwood declined it was replaced by a new form of trade,
Blackbirding.
Blackbirding was a euphemism for enslaving people from New Caledonia, the
Loyalty Islands,
Vanuatu,
Papua New Guinea and the
Solomon Islands to work in sugar cane plantations in
Fiji and
Queensland. The trade ceased at the start of the 20th century. The victims of this trade were called ''Kanakas'', a label later shortened to ''Kanak'' and adopted by the indigenous population after French annexation.
Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries first arrived in the nineteenth century. They had a profound effect on indigenous culture. They insisted people should wear clothes to cover themselves. They eradicated many local practices and traditions, including cannibalism.
The island was made a French possession in late 1853 in an attempt by
Napoleon III to rival the British colonies in
Australia and
New Zealand. Following the example set by the
British in nearby
Australia, between 1864 and 1922 France sent a total of 22,000 convicted felons to
penal colonies along the south-west coast of the island; this number includes regular criminals as well as political prisoners such as Parisian socialists and
Kabyle nationalists. Towards the end of the penal colony era, free European
settlers (including former convicts) and Asian contract workers by far out-numbered the population of forced workers. The indigenous Kanak populations declined drastically in that same period due to introduced diseases and an
apartheid-like system called ''
Code de l'Indigénat'' which imposed severe restrictions on their livelihood, freedom of movement and land ownership.
During
World War II, US and
Allies forces built a major position in New Caledonia to combat the advance of
Japan in South-East Asia and toward Australia. Noumea served as a headquarter for the United States military in the Pacific. The proximity of the territory with the South Pacific operations permitted also quick repairs in Noumea of damaged US ships. The American 23rd Infantry Division is still unofficially named
Americal, the name being a contraction of "America" and "New Caledonia".
The U.S. military headquarters - a pentagonal complex - was, after the war, taken over as the base for a new regional intergovernmental development organisation: the South Pacific Commission, later known as the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
New Caledonia has been on a
United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1986. This list includes such places as the
American Samoa, the British
Falkland Islands and the New Zealand territory of
Tokelau, but noticeably it does not include places like
Tibet or
West Papua, which has led to its reputation as a politically biased list. Agitation by the
Front de Libération Nationale Kanak Socialiste (
FLNKS) for independence began in 1985. The FLNKS (led by the late
Jean-Marie Tjibaou, assassinated in 1989) advocated the creation of an independent state of 'Kanaky'. The troubles culminated in 1988 with a bloody
hostage taking in Ouvéa. The unrest led to agreement on increased autonomy in the Matignon Accords of 1988 and the
Nouméa Accord of 1998. This Accord describes the
devolution process as "irreversible" and also provides for a local Caledonian citizenship, separate official symbols of Caledonian identity (such as a "national"
flag), as well as mandating a referendum on the contentious issue of independence from the French Republic sometime after 2014.
Politics
Main articles: Politics of New Caledonia
Flag of the independence movements
The unique status of New Caledonia is in between that of an independent country and a normal ''
Overseas department'' of France.
On the one hand, both a Territorial Congress (''
Congress of New Caledonia'') and government have been established, and are increasingly empowered via the gradual implementation of a devolution of powers from France in favour of New Caledonia, pursuant to the 1998
Nouméa Accord. Key areas (e.g. taxation, labour law, health and hygiene, foreign trade, and others) are already in the hands of the Territorial Congress and government. Further authority will be given to the Territorial Congress in the near future. Ultimately, the French Republic should only remain in charge of foreign affairs, justice, defense, public order, and treasury. An additional enhancement to New Caledonian autonomy has come in the form of recently-introduced territorial "citizenship": Only New Caledonian "citizens" have the right to vote in local elections. The introduction of this right has been criticised, because it creates a second-class status for French citizens living in New Caledonia who do not possess New Caledonian "citizenship" (because they settled in the territory recently). Further signs of increased autonomy for the territory, include New Caledonia's right to engage in international cooperation with independent countries of the
Pacific Ocean region, the continued use of a local currency (the French Pacific Franc, or CFP) rather than the Euro, as well as the authority of the Territorial Congress to pass statutes overriding
French law in a certain number of areas.
On the other hand, New Caledonia remains a part of the French Republic. The inhabitants of New Caledonia are French citizens and carry French passports. They take part in the legislative and presidential French elections, sending two representatives to the
French National Assembly and one senator to the
French Senate. At the
2007 French presidential election the
voter turnout in New Caledonia was 68.14%.
[2] The representative of the French central state in New Caledonia is the
High Commissioner of the Republic (''Haut-Commissaire de la République'', locally known as "''haussaire''"), who is the head of civil services, and who sits as an integral part of the territorial government.
The
Nouméa Accord provides a mechanism for the determination of the ultimate status and degree of New Caledonian territorial autonomy: Pursuant to the Accord, the Territorial Congress will have the right to call for a
referendum on
independence, at any time of its choosing after 2014.
The current president of the government elected by the territorial Congress is
Marie-Noëlle Thémereau, from the loyalist (i.e. anti-independence) "
Future Together" party (''l'Avenir Ensemble''), which toppled the long-time ruling
RPCR (Rally for Caledonia in the Republic) in May 2004. "Future Together" is a party of mostly White and Polynesian New Caledonians opposed to independence, but rebelling against the hegemonistic and (allegedly) corrupt anti-independence RPCR, led by the now-discredited
Jacques Lafleur. Their toppling of the RPCR (that was until then seen as the only voice of New Caledonian Whites) was a surprise to many, and a sign that New Caledonian society is undergoing changes. "Future Together," as the name implies, is opposed to a racial-oriented vision of New Caledonian political life, one based purely on the political primacy of either the Melanesian native inhabitants or the descendants of European settlers. Rather, it is in favour of a multicultural New Caledonia, of governing principles that better reflect the reality of the existence of large populations of Polynesians, Indonesians, Chinese, and other immigrant communities that make up the nation. Some members of "Future Together" are even in favour of independence, though not necessarily on the same basis as the Melanesian independence parties.
Representation at the national level
New Caledonia sends two
deputies to the
French National Assembly, one representing the
commune (municipality) of
Nouméa, the commune of
L'Île-des-Pins and the
Loyalty Islands Province, and the other representing the rest of New Caledonia. New Caledonia also sends one senator to the
French Senate.
Subdivisions
Main articles: Administrative divisions of New Caledonia
Along with other Pacific Ocean territories of
French Polynesia and
Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia is part of the
French Republic. Its official status, unique in the French Republic, is said to be ''
sui generis'', because New Caledonia is the only French subdivision that is not a ''
collectivité territoriale''. New Caledonia was a
colony until 1946, then an overseas territory (''
territoire d'outre-mer'', or ''TOM'') from 1946 to 1999. The capital is
Nouméa, the only major
conurbation in the territory.
Administratively, the archipelago is divided into three
provinces:
★
South Province (''province Sud''). Provincial capital:
Nouméa. Population: 164,113 inhabitants (2004).
★
North Province (''province Nord''). Provincial capital:
Koné. Population: 44,596 inhabitants (2004).
★
Loyalty Islands Province (''province des îles Loyauté''). Provincial capital:
Lifou. Population: 22,080 inhabitants (2004).
It is further subdivided into thirty-three
communes. One commune,
Poya, is divided between two provinces. The northern half of Poya, with the main settlement and most of the population, is part of the North Province, while the southern half of the commune, with only 122 inhabitants in 2004, is part of the South Province.
New Caledonia administrative1.png
There are also three administrative subdivisions, simply known as ''subdivisions'' in
French, with exactly the same names and same boundaries as the three provinces, except that the commune of Poya is entirely contained inside the North Subdivision. Contrary to the provinces, which are full political divisions with provincial assemblies and executives, the administrative subdivisions are merely
deconcentrated divisions of the French central state, akin to the ''
arrondissements'' of
metropolitan France, with a Deputy Commissioner of the Republic (''commissaire délégué de la République''), akin to a
subprefect of metropolitan France, in residence in each subdivision's chief town.
The subdivision chief towns are the same as the provincial capitals except in the South Subdivision where the chief town is
La Foa, whereas the capital of the South Province is Nouméa. Thus, although the provincial assembly of the South Province sits in Nouméa, the South Subdivision's Deputy Commissioner of the Republic is in residence in La Foa. This was decided in order to counterbalance the overwhelming weight of Nouméa in New Caledonia.
In addition, a parallel layer of administration exists for Kanak tribal affairs; these are called ''aires coutumières'' ("traditional spheres") and are eight in number (
see map of the "aires coutumières"). Their jurisdiction does not encompass non-Kanaks living within these zones. The ''aires coutumières'' more or less correspond to the indigenous language areas of pre-French tribal alliances.
Geography
Main articles: Geography of New Caledonia
New Caledonia map from CIA World Factbook
New Caledonia is located around in the southwest
Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,200 kilometres (746 mi) east of
Australia and 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) northwest of
New Zealand. The island nation of
Vanuatu lies to the northeast.
New Caledonia is made up of a main island, the 'Grande Terre', and several smaller islands, the
Belep archipelago to the north of the Grande Terre, the
Loyalty Islands to the east of the Grande Terre, the
Île des Pins to the south of the Grande Terre, the
Chesterfield Islands and Bellona Reefs further to the west.
The Grande Terre is by far the largest of the islands, and the only mountainous island. It has an area of 16,372 square kilometres (6,321 sq mi), and is elongated northwest-southeast, 350 kilometres (217 mi) in length and 50 to 70 kilometres (31–44 mi) wide. A mountain range runs the length of the island, with five peaks over 1,500 meters (4,900 ft). The highest point is
Mont Panié at 1,628 meters (5,341 ft) elevation. The total area of New Caledonia is , of those being land.
Topographic map of New Caledonia
New Caledonian soils contain a considerable wealth of industrially-critical elements and minerals, including about one-quarter of the world's
nickel resources. Mining is therefore a significant industry that greatly benefits the national economy. However, the country is also home to numerous, critically-important ancient ecosystems. Thus, widely-practiced and indiscriminate
open-pit mining across much of New Caledonia, has been (and continues to be) responsible for severe deterioration of the nation's irreplaceable natural heritage.
New Caledonia is one of the northernmost parts of a (93%) submerged
continent called
Zealandia. It sank after
rifting away from
Australia 60–85 million years ago (mya) and from
Antarctica between 130 and 85 mya. It is in area, almost half the size of Australia and is unusually long and narrow. New Caledonia itself is separated from Australia since 65 mya, and subsequently drifted in a north-easterly direction, reaching its present position about 50 mya
[3].
Climate
New Caledonia from space
"Baie des Tortues" (Turtle Bay) near "La roche percée" (Pierced Rock) at Bourail in New Caledonia
New Caledonia lies astride the
Tropic of Capricorn, between 19° and 23° south latitude. The climate of the islands is
tropical, and rainfall is highly seasonal, brought by trade winds that usually come from the east. Rainfall averages about 1,500 millimetres (59 in) yearly on the Loyalty Islands, 2,000 millimetres (79 in) at low elevations on eastern the Grande Terre, and 2,000-4,000 millimetres (79–157.5 in) at high elevations on the Grande Terre. The western side of the Grande Terre lies in the
rain shadow of the central mountains, and rainfall averages 1,200 millimetres (47 in) per year.
Ecology
New Caledonia is considered one of the world's most botanically-important, and critically endangered hotspots. Unlike many of the Pacific Islands, which are of relatively recent volcanic origin, New Caledonia is an ancient fragment of the
Gondwana super-continent. New Caledonia and New Zealand separated from Australia 85 million years ago, and from one another 55 million years ago. This isolated New Caledonia from the rest of the world's landmasses, and made it a
Noah's Ark of sorts, preserving a snapshot of prehistoric Gondwanan forests. The country still shelters an extraordinary diversity of unique,
endemic, and extremely primitive plants and animals of Gondwanan origin. For more information on the significance of this country's flora and fauna, as well as the dangers it faces, and its effects on national social, economic, and political life, see
Biodiversity of New Caledonia and
Endemic Birds of New Caledonia.
Although the majority of the country's citizens are unaware of the extraordinary nature of their country's biological patrimony, a few of the country's animals and plants have become somewhat emblematic in local culture. Among the best known, is a hen-sized, flightless bird, commonly-known as the Cagou or
Kagu, which has a large crest and an odd cooing call. Its song and image are frequently seen as nationally-recognized icons. Another frequently used cultural emblem is the Columnar or Cook's Pine ''(Araucaria columnaris)'', an important symbol in
Kanak culture. The Niaouli tree (also native to
Australia and
New Guinea), is of medicinal interest, locally and abroad. Its sap (which contains Gomenol, a camphor-smelling compound), is used to treat head colds, and as an antiseptic. It also shows potential to treat other medical ailments. Before the Europeans arrived, there was no mammal other than the Roussette (aka flying fox), a large vegetarian
bat, considered a local delicacy. Less well-known by the native population, is the fact their country is home to a species of plant, ''(
Amborella trichopoda)'', believed to be genetically close to the ancestor of all flowering plants, or the fact their nation boasts the largest number and diversity of conifer species in the world, per geographic area (a remarkable fact, given that conifers are usually relatively rare in tropical regions).
The islands contain two precipitation zones: Higher-rainfall areas (located on the Loyalty Islands, Isle of Pines (Île des Pins), and on the eastern side of Grande Terre) which support
New Caledonia rain forests, and a more arid region, home to the now exceedingly-endangered New Caledonia dry forests, located in the rain shadow on the western side of Grande Terre. Europeans settled on the dry west coast of Grande Terre, leaving the east (as well as the Loyalty Islands and the Isle of Pines) to the Kanaks, and resulting in an ethno-cultural division which coincides with the natural one. Extensive farming by Europeans in the dry forest areas, has caused these forest ecosystems to virtually disappear.
It is a vast oversimplification, however, to merely describe New Caledonia's extremely important, complex and diverse ecology in terms of precipitation zones. Species and ecological diversity is further complicated by soil type (degree and type of mineralization), altitude, and geographic location (for instance, Loyalty Islands and Isle of Pines have flora that is distinct from Grande Terre).
In addition to the remarkable terrestrial environment of New Caledonia, the country is also home to important aquatic ecosystems. Its freshwater ecology also evolved in long isolation, and the New Caledonia rivers and streams are home to many endemic species. Moreover, the
New Caledonia Barrier Reef, which surrounds Grande Terre and the Isle of Pines (Île des Pins), is the second-largest
coral reef in the world after Australia's
Great Barrier Reef, reaching a length of 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). Like its terrestrial counterpart, the Caledonian reef system has great species diversity, is home to endangered
dugongs ''(Dugong dugong)'', and is an important nesting site for the
Green Sea Turtle ''(Chelonia mydas)''. The
Nautilus is a living-fossil species, once common during the age of the dinosaurs, and survives today in the waters surrounding New Caledonia.
Ecology and politics
Aside from the challenges posed by charting a course for the territory's racial and political life, the current government faces an additional, extraordinary challenge in balancing the needs of the territory's mining-based economy, with the protection of its globally-recognized, ecological-important wild areas (see Ecology, below, as well as well as
Biodiversity of New Caledonia and
Endemic Birds of New Caledonia). The territory is essentially one of the most evolutionarily isolated areas in the world, and its natural environment is comparable in many ways to a real-life
Jurassic Park (film), especially with regards to its native plant life and its barrier reef, the second largest in the world. Although, no animal dinosaurs obviously exist today, New Caledonia's flora (and, in a few cases, fauna) is extraordinarily primitive, substantially unchanged from the days of the dinosaurs, and can be found virtually nowhere else on earth outside of its small land mass. Safeguarding and preserving such a critical biological resource is an important national responsibility --- one which, to date, has taken a distant back seat to the rapid and destructive exploitation of the nation's many and substantial mineral resources (nickel, and other metals). It is those very mineral resources which permit New Caledonia to have a fairly prosperous economy today, and which have made the elite and influential classes in New Caledonia quite wealthy.
As recently as the late 1990s and the early part of the new millennium, the RPCR under
Jacques Lafleur (whose family was among those benefiting from exploitation of the territory's mineral wealth) ruthlessly (and often violently) suppressed efforts by incipient, grass-roots environmental organizers like Bruno Van Peteghem. Although such efforts merely sought to implement and observe reasonable environmental norms (transparency in legal proceedings, implementation of required environmental studies prior to destructive human activities, and unbreakable protection of the most critical of biological preserves), Bruno Van Peteghem experienced threats, the firebombing of his home, and eventually, employment-based pressure that led to his exile from New Caledonia. His allies faced similar experiences.
The plight of New Caledonia's environmental patrimony gradually became known to the world at large, partly because Van Peteghem was made a recipient of the prestigious
Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts and sacrifice on behalf of Caledonian ecological protection. In the face of mounting international public awareness, the government slowly implemented some modifications to its near-nonexistent ecological-protection policies. For example, funds were spent on the restoration and upgrading of facilities of a few, high-profile ecologically-important sites, like the famed Madeleine Waterfalls Preserve (Chutes de la Madeleine). Although this prevented the kinds of abuses by the general public that had previously threatened the site (e.g. wood-cutting, fire, garbage, graffiti, etc.), it ultimately does little to give iron-clad protection from mining or industrial exploitation, should such exploitation be proposed for preserves like the Madeleine Waterfalls Preserve. This very fate befell the ecologically-significant area which was completely razed to implement the nearby INCO nickel mine.
Today, despite continued slow progress in a few areas (e.g. judicial revocation of the INCO mining license in June of 2006 due to numerous abuses), the government still moves slowly, if at all, to address grave threats to New Caledonia's ecological diversity from fire, industrial and residential development, and unrestricted agricultural activity, as well as mining. Every year, more of New Caledonia's natural environment is destroyed or degraded all over its small landmass, due to governmental inaction and willful lack of funding for protective resources. Compounding the problem, is the fact that local environmental-protection agencies, charged with intelligent oversight of natural resources, have implemented a few well-intentioned, but ultimately counterproductive measures whose ultimate effect is to undercut the preservation of natural genetic diversity of the territory's flora and fauna.
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of New Caledonia
Though still the largest group, the indigenous
Melanesian
Kanak community now represents 44.6% of the whole population (as of 1996 census),
[ Population totale, selon la communauté par commune et Province de résidence Institut de la statistique et des études économiques de Nouvelle-Calédonie (ISEE) ] their proportion of the population having declined due to immigration and other factors. The rest of the population is made up of ethnic groups that arrived in New Caledonia in the last 150 years:
Europeans (34.5%) (predominantly
French, with
German,
British and
Italian minorities),
Polynesians (
Wallisians,
Tahitians) (11.8%),
Indonesians (2.6%),
Vietnamese (1.4%),
Ni-Vanuatu (1.2%), and various other groups (3.9%), such as
Malabaris and
Tamils,
Indians (Hindu and Muslim),
Sri Lankans,
Bengalis,
Berbers,
Japanese,
Chinese,
Fijians (Native Fijians and Fiji Indians),
Arabs,
West Indian (mostly from other French territories) and a small number of ethnic
Africans.
Some of this immigration was a direct consequence of various conflicts around the world but in particular of the crumbling of the
French colonial empire. The Kanak are known officially as
Melanesians. Similarly, those whose roots are in
French Polynesia are known either as Tahitians (which excludes persons originating in the other archipelagoes of French Polynesia) or simply as Polynesians (which would include both Tahitians and Wallisians, as well as many other minor groups). Whites that have lived in New Caledonia for several generations are locally known as ''
Caldoches'', whereas newcomers who have immigrated from metropolitan France are called ''Métros'' or ''Métropolitains''. Within the official statistical category "Europeans" no distinction is made between Caledonian-born whites and French-born whites, however it is estimated that approximately two thirds identify themselves with the Caldoche community while the rest see themselves primarily as
French immigrants. There is a significant contingent of people that arrive from France to work for a year or two and others that have come to retire. The Caldoche usually refer to themselves simply as ''calédoniens'' and may be either white (mostly French or
German) or white with an admixture of Asian, Melanesian or Polynesian ancestry. Caldoche culture has many similarities with
Australian and
Afrikaner culture. Until very recently the Kanak population held an economically disadvantaged position in New Caledonian society, while wealthy French expatriates formed the top of the socio-economic hierarchy. The Asian and Polynesian inhabitants dominate certain segments of the local economy.
There have been frequent accusations by the pro-independence movement that the French government is attempting to skew the demographic balance between the ethnic communities by clandestinely settling thousands of people from mainland France among the white Caledonians. Censuses are extremely critical to the balance of power in New Caledonia, and the organisation of a new census was regularly postponed after 1996. Eventually the census was carried out in August and September 2004, amidst raging controversies over ethnic questions. Due to an intervention by French president
Jacques Chirac, questions asking for the ethnicity of people were deleted from the 2004 census, officially because they were deemed to contravene the
French Constitution, which states that no distinction based on ethnicity or religion should be made among French citizens. The indigenous Melanesian Kanak leaders, who are extremely sensitive to ethnic balance issues, called for New Caledonians of Kanak ethnicity not to return census forms if questions regarding ethnicity were not asked, threatening to derail the census process. Eventually, the stalemate was resolved when the local New Caledonian statistical office (a branch of the national French statistical office
INSEE) agreed to ask questions regarding ethnicity. However, it is not known whether questions regarding ethnicity were asked to all residents of New Caledonia, and at any rate no data have been released, leaving the ethnic tables from the 1996 census as the only information on ethnicity currently available.
According to the August 31, 2004 census, there were 230,789 inhabitants in New Caledonia.
This figure has increased to 240,400 as of January 1, 2007 official estimates.
Kanak leaders were fearful of a major influx of whites from
metropolitan France which would alter the ethnic balance in the territory, but this has not happened.
'
Population:'
240,400 (January 1,
2007 estimate)
'Age structure:'
''0-14 years:''
28,4% (male 31 818, female 30 513)
''15-64 years:''
64,9% (male 71 565, female 70 815)
''65 years and over:''
6,6% (male 6 773, female 7 772) (2006 est.)
'Population growth rate:'
1.84% (in
2005),
1.91% (yearly average from January
2000 to January
2006)
'
Birth rate:'
17.2 births/1 000 population (in
2005)
'
Death rate:'
4.9 deaths/1 000 population (in
2005)
'
Net migration rate:'
5.62 migrants/1 000 population (in
2005),
5.01 migrants/1 000 population (yearly average between beginning of
2000 and end of
2005)
'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:''
0,87 male(s)/female
''total population:''
1,01 male(s)/female (
2006 est.)
'
Infant mortality rate:'
7,57 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8,27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6,83 deaths/1,000 live births (
2006 est.)
'
Life expectancy at birth:' (in 2005)
''total population:''
75.2 years
''male:''
71.9 years
''female:''
78.6 years
'Total
fertility rate:'
2.20 children born/woman (in
2005)
'Nationality:'
''noun:''
New Caledonian(s)
''adjective:''
New Caledonian
'Ethnic groups:' (as of 1996 census
[2])
Melanesian 44.6%,
European 34.5%,
Wallisian 9.1%,
Tahitian 2.7%,
Indonesian 2.6%,
Vietnamese 1.4%,
Ni-Vanuatu 1.2%, other (Filipino) 3.9%
'Religions:'
Roman Catholicism 60%,
Protestantism 30%, other 10%
'Languages:'
French (official), 33
Melanesian-Polynesian languages
'
Literacy:'
''definition:''
age 15 and over can read and write
''total population:''
91%
''male:''
92%
''female:''
90% (1976 est.)
Languages
French is the official language of New Caledonia as in the rest of the
French Republic. At the 2004 census, 97.0% of people whose age was 14 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French, whereas only 0.97% reported that they had no knowledge of French.
[4] At the same census, 37.1% of people whose age was 14 or older reported that they could speak (but not necessarily read or write) one of the 28 indigenous
Austronesian languages of New Caledonia (see
New Caledonian languages and
Loyalty Island languages), whereas 58.7% reported that they had no knowledge of any of these 28 indigenous languages.
[5]
Culture
Rugby league has been played in New Caledonia since 2003 when its
rugby union governing body and clubs switched to the other code. The
New Caledonia national rugby league team represents New Caledonia in an international rugby league.
The New Caledonian Football (soccer) team participate in the Oceania regions Nations Cup.
Miscellaneous topics
★
Communications in New Caledonia
★
Economy of New Caledonia
★
Military of New Caledonia
★
Music of New Caledonia
★ Sister city of Nouméa:
Gold Coast,
Australia
★ Territorial disputes: International:
Matthew and
Hunter Islands, claimed by
Vanuatu.
★
Transportation in New Caledonia
★ Mining in New Caledonia
[3]
See also
★
French overseas departments and territories
★
Administrative divisions of France
★
Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans
★
Zealandia
External links
★
Official website
★
Open Directory Project - ''New Caledonia'' directory category
★
Lonely Planet WorldGuide profile
★
Website for l'Association Endemia: A thorough presentation of New Caledonian biodiversity
★
past and current developments of France's overseas administrative divisions like New Caledonia
★
Brousse-en-folie A popular local comic strip series
★
General information and maps of the provinces, municipalities and the tribal zones
'Tourism'
★
Tourism Information of New-Caledonia
Footnotes
1. Previously known officially as the "Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies" (French: ''Territoire de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances''), then simply as the "Territory of New Caledonia" (French: ''Territoire de la Nouvelle-Calédonie''), the full French name is now officially only ''Nouvelle-Calédonie'' (Organic Law of 19 March 1999, article 222 IV – see [1]). It should be noted that French courts often continue to use the appellation ''Territoire de la Nouvelle-Calédonie''.
2. Voter turnout in the second round of the election as per:
RESULTATS DE L'ELECTION PRESIDENTIELLE - NOUVELLE CALEDONIE
3. Boyer & Giribet 2007: 355
4. P9-1 - Population de 14 ans et plus selon la connaissance du français, le sexe, par commune, "zone" et par province de résidence
5. P10-1 - Population de 14 ans et plus selon la connaissance d'une langue mélanésienne et le sexe , par commune, "zone" et par province de résidence
References
★ (2007): A new model Gondwanan taxon: systematics and biogeography of the harvestman family Pettalidae (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi), with a taxonomic revision of genera from Australia and New Zealand. ''Cladistics'' '23'(4): 337-361.
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