NEW CALEDONIA
Location:
New Caledonia is located in the south Pacific Ocean, 1,750 kilometres east of Australia.
Its total area is 19,060 square kilometres.
Population:
181,309 (July, 1994 estimate)
Languages:
French, 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Government:
New Caledonia has been an overseas territory of France since 1956.
Legal System:
The 1988 Matignon Accords granted substantial autonomy to New Caledonia. It was
formerly under French law.
Telecommunications:
New Caledonia has one Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station.
Economy:
New Caledonia has more than 25% of the world's known nickel resources. In recent
years, the economy has suffered because of depressed international demand for nickel,
the principal source of export earnings. Only a negligible amount of the land is suitable
for cultivation, and food accounts for about 25% of imports.
Industries:
The main industry in New Caledonia is nickel mining and smelting.
Currency:
1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange Rates:
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 107.63 (January,
1994)
The Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc is linked at the rate of 18.18 to the
French franc
Related sites:
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Hotels
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