Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and
Europe; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@New Caledonia

Introduction
New Caledonia

Background:

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.

Geography
New Caledonia

Location:

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

Geographic coordinates:

21 30 S, 165 30 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
water: 485 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

2,254 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Terrain:

coastal plains with interior mountains

Elevation extremes:

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

Natural resources:

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

Land use:

arable land: 0.32%
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 99.46% (2005)

Irrigated land:

100 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

cyclones, most frequent from November to March

Environment - current issues:

erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

Geography - note:

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

People
New Caledonia

Population:

224,824 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.3% (male 31,376/female 30,064)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 74,064/female 73,369)
65 years and over: 7.1% (male 7,377/female 8,574) (2008 es