New Caledonia

New Caledonia Fr. Nouvelle Calédonie, officially Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies, internally self-governing dependency of France (2005 est. pop. 216,000), land area 7,241 sq mi (18,760 sq km), South Pacific, c.700 mi (1,130 km) E of Australia. It comprises the island of New Caledonia, the Isle of Pines, the Loyalty Islands , Walpole Island, and the Huon, Chesterfield, and Belep groups. The capital is Nouméa on New Caledonia island. New Caledonia island, the largest island of the territory (6,223 sq mi/16,118 sq km), is mountainous and temperate in climate.

The population is about 45% Melanesian (Kanak) and 35% European (mostly French) with Polynesians in the outlying islands; the European population is concentrated in S New Caledonia. French, the official language, and several Melanesian and Polynesian dialects are spoken. About 60% of the population is Roman Catholic and 30% is Protestant.

The island of New Caledonia is rich in mineral resources, including nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, and copper. It is densely forested in some places, but almost all the kauri pine that was once an important export has been cut down. Nickel mining and smelting are the principal industries, and tourism and fishing are also important. There is subsistence farming, and cattle and poultry are raised, but many foodstuffs must still be imported. New Caledonia receives substantial financial support from France.

New Caledonia is governed under the 1958 French constitution. The president of France, represented by the High Commissioner of the Republic, is the head of state. The government is headed by the president of New Caledonia, who is elected by the legislature for a five-year term; there are no term limits. Members of the 54-seat Territorial Congress are elected by popular vote for five-year terms. The territory also elects two deputies to the National Assembly and one member of the Senate of France. Administratively the territory is divided into three provinces (Northern, Southern, and the Loyalty Islands), each with its own assembly.

Capt. James Cook sighted and named the main island in 1774; the French annexed it in 1853. The discovery of nickel 10 years later brought increased French settlement, and a penal colony was established. The late 1800s saw several Kanak rebellions. During World War II New Caledonia was used as U.S. military base. It became a French overseas territory in 1956. Civil strife erupted in the 1980s as the Kanaks pushed for independence; the 1988 Matignon Accords between French and Melanesian delegations granted considerable autonomy to the islands and increased economic development aid from France. In 1998, New Caledonians approved a power-sharing agreement with France, and agreed to put off an independence referendum for 15-20 years. The territory became a French overseas territorial collectivity with full internal autonomy.

New Caledonia (Nouvelle Calédonie) French overseas territory in the sw Pacific Ocean, c.1200km (750mi) e of Australia, consisting of New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Isle des Pins, Isle Bélep, and Chesterfield and Huon Islands; the capital is Nouméa (on New Caledonia). Discovered in 1774 by Captain Cook, the islands were annexed by France in 1853. The group became a French overseas territory in 1946. In the 1980s, there was a growing separatist movement. Direct French rule was imposed in 1988. Products: copra, coffee, cotton, nickel, iron, manganese, cobalt, chromium. Area: 18,575sq km (7170sq mi). Pop. (1996) 196,836.

http://www.sponline.com/nc

New Caledonia (Nouvelle Calédonie) One of the largest islands in Oceania which is surrounded by a group of Melanesian islands, it lies some 750 miles east of Queensland, Australia. It was annexed by France in 1853 and became a penal colony to which over 30,000 prisoners were dispatched (1864–97). The native inhabitants (Kanaks) from here and from Vanuatu were imported as virtual slave labour by Australia in the nineteenth century, but forcibly repatriated from 1906 as part of the White Australia Policy. Military government gave way to a civilian administration in 1885, but in 1942–5 it was occupied by the USA and served as headquarters to the US armed forces in the South Pacific under Admiral Halsey. In 1946, it became a French Overseas Territory with limited self-government, and thus an integral part of the administration of mainland France. As such, it has been represented in Paris since 1953 by one Senator, as well as two members in the Legislative Assembly. In the 1980s, there were sporadic violent outbursts by Kanaks demanding independence. Their demands were not shared by a majority of the population, which enjoyed considerable prosperity as a result of direct and indirect French state support. Its economy suffered from the Asian economic crisis from 1997, and the depressed prices for nickel, as it held 20 per cent of the World's nickel reserves.