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Communications

Broadcast media [time series]

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)

Internet country code [time series]

.nc

Internet users [time series]

total: 169,100 | percent of population: 63.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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)

Telephones - fixed lines [time series]

total subscriptions: 88,500 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 146

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total: 243,100 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 91 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 179

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

vegetables; beef, venison, other livestock products; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $996 million | expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]

NA% of GDP

Debt - external [time series]

$112 million (31 December 2013 est.) | $79 million (31 December 1998 est.) | country comparison to the world: 193

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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.

Exchange rates [time series]

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.)

Exports [time series]

$1.565 billion (2014 est.) | $1.196 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Exports - commodities [time series]

ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

Exports - partners [time series]

France 18.4%, Japan 15.7%, Republic of Korea 12.1% (2014)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$11.1 billion (2014 est.)

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

$11.1 billion (2014 est.) | $10.8 billion (2013 est.) | $10.57 billion (2012) | country comparison to the world: 156

GDP - composition, by end use [time series]

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

agriculture: 1.4% | industry: 25.9% | services: 72.8% (2014 est.)

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

$38,800 (2012 est.) | $36,500 (2010 est.) | $27,300 (2005) | country comparison to the world: 42

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

2.8% (2014 est.) | 2.2% (2013) | 2.9% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 119

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$3.323 billion (2014 est.) | $3.24 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Imports - commodities [time series]

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners [time series]

France 22.2%, Singapore 18.6%, Australia 10.9% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

6% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

Industries [time series]

nickel mining and smelting

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

0.2% (2014 est.) | 1.3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33

Labor force [time series]

106,400 (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 183

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 2.7% | industry: 22.4% | services: 74.9% (2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$NA

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

17.1% (2004) | country comparison to the world: 158

Energy

Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]

3.071 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 139

Crude oil - exports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 167

Crude oil - imports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 104

Crude oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 172

Electricity - consumption [time series]

2.716 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]

76.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]

15.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]

7.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]

499,200 kW (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141

Electricity - production [time series]

2.92 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 133

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 108

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]

14,500 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]

116.9 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120

Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]

14,670 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128

Refined petroleum products - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 115

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 18,575 sq km | land: 18,275 sq km | water: 300 sq km | country comparison to the world: 156

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate [time series]

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Coastline [time series]

2,254 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m | highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

Geographic coordinates [time series]

21 30 S, 165 30 E

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

100 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

agricultural land: 10.4% | arable land 0.4%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 9.8% | forest: 45.9% | other: 43.7% (2011 est.)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Oceania

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

cyclones, most frequent from November to March | volcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

coastal plains with interior mountains

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

3 provinces; Province Iles (Islands Province), Province Nord (North Province), and Province Sud (South Province)

Capital [time series]

name: Noumea | geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E | time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Citizenship [time series]

see France

Constitution [time series]

4 October 1958 (French Constitution with changes as reflected in Noumea Accord of 5 May 1998) (2015)

Country name [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

Dependency status [time series]

territorial collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive branch [time series]

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

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

parliamentary representative democracy

Independence [time series]

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

International organization participation [time series]

ITUC (NGOs), PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WMO

Judicial branch [time series]

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

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

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

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

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)

National holiday [time series]

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1789); note - the local holiday is New Caledonia Day, 24 September (1853)

National symbol(s) [time series]

fleche faitiere (native rooftop adornment), kagu bird; national colors: blue, red, green, yellow, black

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

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

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

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 68,219 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 56,233 | females age 16-49: 55,983 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 2,272 | female: 2,167 (2010 est.)

Military - note [time series]

defense is the responsibility of France

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

no regular military forces; French military, police, and gendarmerie (2012)

People and Society

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 23.19% (male 32,178/female 30,804) | 15-24 years: 16.89% (male 23,435/female 22,448) | 25-54 years: 42.99% (male 58,769/female 57,994) | 55-64 years: 8.21% (male 10,874/female 11,417) | 65 years and over: 8.72% (male 10,558/female 13,138) (2015 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

15.33 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 130

Death rate [time series]

5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Dependency ratios [time series]

total dependency ratio: 47.9% | youth dependency ratio: 32.9% | elderly dependency ratio: 15% | potential support ratio: 6.6% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source [time series]

Ethnic groups [time series]

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.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 6.33 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Languages [time series]

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 77.5 years | male: 73.49 years | female: 81.71 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 96.9% | male: 97.3% | female: 96.5% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population [time series]

NOUMEA (capital) 181,000 (2014)

Median age [time series]

total: 31.4 years | male: 30.7 years | female: 32 years (2015 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: New Caledonian(s) | adjective: New Caledonian

Net migration rate [time series]

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

Population [time series]

271,615 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Population growth rate [time series]

1.38% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 86

Religions [time series]

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

Sanitation facility access [time series]

Sex ratio [time series]

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.97 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 70.2% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 2.17% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu

Transportation

Airports [time series]

25 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 128

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 12 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 10 | under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 13 | 914 to 1,523 m: 5 | 8 (2013)

Heliports [time series]

8 (2013)

Merchant marine [time series]

registered in other countries: 3 (France 3) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 137

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

major seaport(s): Noumea

Roadways [time series]

total: 5,622 km (2006) | country comparison to the world: 152