islands and atolls

People New Caledonia

Population:
213,679 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.4% (male 32,076; female 30,772)
15-64 years: 64.3% (male 69,150; female 68,310)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 6,259; female 7,112) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.2 years
male: 26.9 years
female: 27.5 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.33% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
18.98 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

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: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 8.59 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.78 years
male: 70.82 years
female: 76.89 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

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

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

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

Languages:
French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

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

Government New Caledonia

Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form: New Caledonia
local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie
local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances

Dependency status:
overseas territory of France since 1956

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Noumea

Administrative divisions:
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

Independence:
none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on
independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is
sc