New Caledonia (2008) | Guernsey (2005) | |
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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 | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale, Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint Martin, Saint Andrew |
Age structure | 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.) |
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 5,084/female 4,937)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 21,611/female 22,002) 65 years and over: 17.8% (male 4,882/female 6,712) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle |
Airports | 25 (2007) | 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 6 (2007) |
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Area | total: 19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km water: 485 sq km |
total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than New Jersey | about one-half the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 17.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 9.01 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $996 million
expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.) |
revenues: $539.2 million
expenditures: $448.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2002 est.) |
Capital | name: Noumea
geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Saint Peter Port |
Climate | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast |
Coastline | 2,254 km | 50 km |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
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 |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey |
Death rate | 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 9.95 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $79 million (1998 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | territorial collectivity of France since 1998 | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $524.3 million annual subsidy from France (2004) | NA |
Economy - overview | 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. | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.403 billion kWh (2005) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 1.508 billion kWh (2005) | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m |
Environment - current issues | erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires | NA |
Ethnic groups | Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3% | UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries |
Exchange rates | Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 95.025 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003) | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | 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) |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000)
head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since 1 May 2004) cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Delibertion election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA% |
Exports | 605.7 bbl/day (2004) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | ferronickels, nickel ore, fish | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables |
Exports - partners | Japan 17.4%, France 15.9%, Taiwan 14.5%, China 10.8%, Spain 9.4%, Belgium 7.3%, Italy 6%, Australia 4.6% (2006) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 15%
industry: 8.8% services: 76.2% (2003) |
agriculture: 3%
industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $40,000 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 3% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 21 30 S, 165 30 E | 49 28 N, 2 35 W |
Geography - note | 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 | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port |
Heliports | 6 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total: NA 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 | 11,980 bbl/day (2004) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment |
Imports - partners | France 39.4%, Singapore 15.1%, Australia 11.3%, NZ 4.8% (2006) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Independence | 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 | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | -0.6% (1996) | NA% |
Industries | nickel mining and smelting | tourism, banking |
Infant mortality rate | 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.) |
total: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.4% (2000 est.) | 4.9% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | ITUC, PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO | UPU |
Irrigated land | 100 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court | Royal Court |
Labor force | 78,990 (2004) | 32,290 (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 20%
industry: 20% services: 60% (2002) |
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Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.32%
permanent crops: 0.22% other: 99.46% (2005) |
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% |
Languages | French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands | English law and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | 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 |
unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for 4 years); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.5 years
male: 71.52 years female: 77.63 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 80.3 years
male: 77.3 years female: 83.41 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.2% male: 96.8% female: 95.5% (1996 census) |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2007) |
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Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
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 | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New Caledonian |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | cyclones, most frequent from November to March | NA |
Natural resources | nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper | cropland |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2007 est.) |
3.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | 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] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 221,943 (July 2007 est.) | 65,228 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.203% (2007 est.) | 0.29% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist |
Sex ratio | 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.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 55,300 (2005) | 55,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 134,300 (2005) | 31,500 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | coastal plains with interior mountains | mostly level with low hills in southwest |
Total fertility rate | 2.25 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.38 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 17.1% (2004) | 0.5% (1999 est.) |