Jersey (2005) | New Caledonia (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency) | 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 |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 8,222/female 7,658)
15-64 years: 67% (male 30,296/female 30,561) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 6,176/female 7,899) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 31,578/female 30,270)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 72,821/female 72,109) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 7,047/female 8,118) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 25 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 6 (2007) |
Area | total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km water: 485 sq km |
Area - comparative | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than New Jersey |
Background | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence. |
Birth rate | 9.66 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 17.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $996 million
expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.) |
Capital | Saint Helier | name: Noumea
geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid |
Coastline | 70 km | 2,254 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
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 |
Death rate | 9.19 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | none | $79 million (1998 est.) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | territorial collectivity of France since 1998 |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas territory of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas territory of France) |
Disputes - international | none | Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu |
Economic aid - recipient | none | $524.3 million annual subsidy from France (2004) |
Economy - overview | The Channel Island economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK. | New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than 15% of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years. |
Electricity - consumption | 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) | 1.403 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.508 billion kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires |
Ethnic groups | Jersey 51.1%, British 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) | Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3% |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 95.025 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since 9 November 2007)
head of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since 7 August 2007) cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress for a five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 7 August 2007 when Harold MARTIN was elected following the resignation of Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU as president on 24 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012) |
Exports | $NA | 605.7 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | ferronickels, nickel ore, fish |
Exports - partners | UK | Japan 17.4%, France 15.9%, Taiwan 14.5%, China 10.8%, Spain 9.4%, Belgium 7.3%, Italy 6%, Australia 4.6% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow | the flag of France is used |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
agriculture: 15%
industry: 8.8% services: 76.2% (2003) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $40,000 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 21 30 S, 165 30 E |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls |
Heliports | - | 6 (2007) |
Highways | total: 577 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | 11,980 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | UK | France 39.4%, Singapore 15.1%, Australia 11.3%, NZ 4.8% (2006) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014 |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | -0.6% (1996) |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy | nickel mining and smelting |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 7.42 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.3% (2004) | 1.4% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | - | ITUC, PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 100 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court |
Labor force | 52,790 (2004) | 78,990 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture: 20%
industry: 20% services: 60% (2002) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 0.32%
permanent crops: 0.22% other: 99.46% (2005) |
Languages | English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) | French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 53 |
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres du territoire (54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3 note: New Caledonia currently holds one seat in the French Senate; by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held on June 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.24 years
male: 76.77 years female: 81.91 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 74.5 years
male: 71.52 years female: 77.63 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.2% male: 96.8% female: 95.5% (1996 census) |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
Map references | Europe | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2007) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | - | no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
noun: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New Caledonian |
Natural hazards | NA | cyclones, most frequent from November to March |
Natural resources | arable land | nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper |
Net migration rate | 2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caledonian Union or UC; Federation des Comites de Coordination des Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independence) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 90,812 (July 2005 est.) | 221,943 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.32% (2005 est.) | 1.203% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.868 male(s)/female total population: 1.009 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | NA years of age; universal adult | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
general assessment: NA
domestic: a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia and Australia, scheduled for completion in 2008, will improve high-speed connectivity and access to international networks international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 73,900 (2001) | 55,300 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 61,400 (2001) | 134,300 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | coastal plains with interior mountains |
Total fertility rate | 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 2.25 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.9% (2004 est.) | 17.1% (2004) |