Facts and figures
Background:
Population:Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made 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 as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
224,824 (July 2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.175% (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.75 years
female: 77.88 years (2008 est.)
Ethnic groups:
Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3%
Languages:
French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Economy - overview:
New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, very lavish financial support from France and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.158 billion (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.3 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$15,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15%
industry: 8.8%
services: 76.2% (2003)
Exports - partners:
Japan 17.4%, France 15.9%, Taiwan 14.5%, China 10.8%, Spain 9.4%, Belgium 7.3%, Italy 6%, Australia 4.6% (2006)
Import - partners:
France 39.4%, Singapore 15.1%, Australia 11.3%, NZ 4.8% (2006)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014
