t of
Australia
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total area:
19,060 sq km
land area:
18,760 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
2,254 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain:
coastal plains with interior mountains
Natural resources:
nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
14%
forest and woodland:
51%
other:
35%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
typhoons most frequent from November to March
international agreements:
NA

@New Caledonia, People

Population:
181,309 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.79% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
22.39 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
4.96 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73.62 years
male:
70.32 years
female:
77.09 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.62 children born/woman (1994 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
ar