ancy at birth:
total population:
73.22 years
male:
69.92 years
female:
76.7 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.67 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
New Caledonian(s)
adjective:
New Caledonian
Ethnic divisions:
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, 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1976)
total population:
91%
male:
91%
female:
90%
Labor force:
50,469 foreign workers for plantations and mines from Wallis and Futuna,
Vanuatu, and French Polynesia (1980 est.)
by occupation:
NA

*New Caledonia, Government

Names:
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
Digraph:
NC
Type:
overseas territory of France since 1956
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; a referendum on independence will be
held in 1998)
Constitution:
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands;
formerly under French law
National holiday:
National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Political parties and leaders:
white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique (RPCR),
conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR - affiliated to France's Rassemblement pour la
Republique (RPR); Melanesian proindependence Kanaka Socialist National
Liberation Front (FLNKS), Paul NEAOUTYINE; 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, UREGEI; Union Caledonian (UC), Francois BURCK
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
French Senate:
last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held September 2001); results -
perce