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Communications

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

French Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$NA, NA% of GDP

Military - note (Defense note) [time series]

defense is the responsibility of France

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

97,000 (1992 est.)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

38,748 (1993 est.)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

Televisions [time series]

47,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

vegetables; beef, other livestock products

Budget [time series]

revenues: $540 million expenditures: $540 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economic overview [time series]

New Caledonia has more than 20% 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.

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 250,000 kW production: 1.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 6,178 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates [time series]

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 91.00 (January 1996), 90.75 (1995), 100.93 (1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc

Exports [time series]

$477 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: nickel metal 22%, nickel ore partners: France 32.2%, Japan 23.5%, Germany 6.7%, US 3.6%, India 1.2%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$NA

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $1.5 billion (1995 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 5% industry: 35% services: 60% (1992 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP per capita) [time series]

$8,000 (1995 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP real growth rate) [time series]

NA%

Imports [time series]

$926 million (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: foods, fuels, minerals, machines, electrical equipment partners: France 46.3%, ECE 14.9%, Australia 10.2%, Japan 6.3%, New Zealand 4.4%

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

NA%

Industries [time series]

nickel mining and smelting

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.4% (1990)

Labor force [time series]

70,044 (1988) by occupation: agriculture 32%, industry 20%, services 40%, mines 8% (1992)

Unemployment rate [time series]

15% (1994)

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 19,060 sq km land area: 18,575 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate [time series]

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Coastline [time series]

2,254 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

21 30 S, 165 30 E

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

Matthew and Hunter Islands claimed by France and Vanuatu

Irrigated land [time series]

NA sq km

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

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

Location [time series]

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Map references [time series]

Oceania

Maritime claims [time series]

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

coastal plains with interior mountains lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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 [time series]

Noumea

Constitution [time series]

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President (of France) Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995) represented by High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government Dominque BUR (since NA), who was appointed by the French Ministry of the Interior head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Pierre FROGIER (since NA) was elected by the members of the Assembly cabinet: Consultative Committee

Flag [time series]

three horizontal bands, blue (top), red, and green, with a yellow disk enclosing a black symbol centered to the hoist side; the flag of France is used for official occasions

Legislative branch (French National Assembly) [time series]

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

Legislative branch (French Senate) [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

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

International organization participation [time series]

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

Judicial branch [time series]

Court of Appeal

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

Country name (Name of country) [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique (RPCR), conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR, president - affiliated to France's Rassemblement pour la Republique (RPR; also called South Province Party); Melanesian proindependence Kanaka Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), Rock WAMYTAN; 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, president; "1999" (new party calling for an autonomous state), Philippe PENTECOST; Nouvelle-Caledonie Pour Toute (NCPT)

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch (Territorial Assembly) [time series]

elections last held 9 July 1995 (next to be held NA July 2001); results - percent by party NA; seats - (54 total) RPCR 22, NCPT 7, other anti-independence parties 6, FLNKS 12, other pro-independence parties 7

Government type (Type of government) [time series]

overseas territory of France since 1956

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

none (overseas territory of France)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 30% (male 28,941; female 27,929) 15-64 years: 64% (male 61,263; female 59,673) 65 years and over: 6% (male 4,750; female 5,228) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

21.75 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate [time series]

4.88 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages [time series]

French, 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 74.35 years male: 71.06 years female: 77.8 years (1996 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.) total population: 91% male: 92% female: 90%

Nationality [time series]

noun: New Caledonian(s) adjective: New Caledonian

Net migration rate [time series]

0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population [time series]

187,784 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.72% (1996 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.53 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 28 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 12 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 12 (1995 est.)

Heliports [time series]

7 (1995 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 1 roll-on/roll-off ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,079 GRT/724 DWT (1995 est.)

Ports [time series]

Mueo, Noumea, Thio

Railways [time series]

0 km