t.)

Median age:

total: 28.4 years
male: 28 years
female: 28.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.175% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA
note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New
Caledonia (2008 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: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.75 years
male: 71.76 years
female: 77.88 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.21 children born/woman (2008 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 44.1%, European 34.1%, Wallisian & Futunian 9%, Tahitian
2.6%, Indonesian 2.5%, Vietnamese 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1.1%, other 5.2%
(1996 census)

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: 96.2%
male: 96.8%
female: 95.5% (1996 census)

Government
New Caledonia

Country name:

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

Dependency status:

territorial collectivity of France since 1998

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Noumea
geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E
time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

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 Province des Iles, Province Nord, and Province
Sud

Independence:

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