NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Collectivité sui generis

New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie; popular names: Kanaky, Le caillou) is a French territory of 18,575 km² (7,172 sq. miles) made up of a main island and several smaller islands, in the southwest Pacific. Population in 2004 is about 220,000 inhabitants (Projection from the 1996 census). It has an Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of .nc. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes New Caledonia on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, a highly political list that is disputed by France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, which all have territories on the list. New Caledonia, from the CIA fact book. ... New Caledonia, from the CIA fact book. ... The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, peaceful sea, bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the worlds largest body of water. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of which Internet domain names consist of. ... A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a top-level domain used and reserved for a country or a dependent territory. ... .nc is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for New Caledonia. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... Africa Western Sahara Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas Montserrat St. ...

Name

The name Caledonia derives from the Latin name of a region corresponding approximately to modern Scotland. The name Kanaky is also in common usage in French, English and the indigenous languages. This name is favored by Melanesian nationalists. The word comes from kanaka, a Polynesian word meaning human used by Polynesians to call themselves. The word was later used by the French to call all the native inhabitants of the South Pacific Ocean, including the Melanesian (non-Polynesian) native inhabitants of New Caledonia. The word, turned into Canaque in French, became derogative. In the 1960s and 1970s, when the Melanesian native inhabitants started to organize themselves into political parties and ask for independence, this derogative word was turned into a symbol of political emancipation and pride. Caledonia is primarily a Roman Latin name for a region corresponding approximately to that part of Great Britain which is north of a line between the mouths of the Forth and the Clyde. ... Latin is the language that was originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... Melanesia (from Greek black islands) is a region extending from the west Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. ... The Polynesian languages are a group of related languages spoken in the region known as Polynesia. ...

Geography

Main article: Geography of New Caledonia Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia Geographic coordinates: 21°30′ S 165°30′ E Map references: Oceania Area:x total: 19,060 sq km land: 18,575 sq km (7,172 sq. ...

New Caledonia is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean approximately 1,200 km east of Australia and 1,500 km northeast of New Zealand. The island nation of Vanuatu lies to the northeast.

New Caledonia is made up of a main island, the Grande Terre, and several smaller islands, the Belep archipelago to the north of the Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands to the east of the Grande Terre, the Ile des Pins to the south of the Grande Terre, and the Chesterfield Islands and Bellona Reefs further to the west. The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. ... The Isle of Pines or Kunie is a small island belonging to the French territory of New Caledonia, measuring 14km by 8km. ...

The Grande Terre is by far the largest of the islands, and the only mountainous island. It has an area of 16,372 sq km, and is enlongated northwest-southeast, 350 km in length and from 50-70 km wide. A mountain range runs the length of the island, with five peaks over 1500 meters. The highest point is Mont Panie at 1,628 meters elevation (5,341 ft).

Climate

New Caledonia lies astride the Tropic of Capricorn, between 19° and 23° south latitude. The climate of the islands is tropical, and rainfall is highly seasonal, brought by trade winds that usually come from the east. Rainfall averages about 1,500 mm yearly on the Loyalty Islands, 2,000 mm at low elevations on eastern the Grande Terre, and 2,000-4,000 mm at high elevations on the Grande Terre. The western side of the Grande Terre lies in the rain shadow of the central mountains, and rainfall averages 1200 mm per year. The Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... A rain shadow (or more accurately, precipitation shadow) is a dry region on the surface of the Earth that is leeward or behind a mountain with respect to the prevailing wind direction. ...

Ecology

Unlike many of the Pacific islands which are of relatively recent volcanic origin, New Caledonia is an ancient fragment of the Gondwana supercontinent. New Caledonia and New Zealand separated from Australia 85 million years ago, and from one another 55 million years ago, and New Caledonia still carries many unique and endemic plants and animals of Gondwanan origin. (see Biodiversity of New Caledonia). The best known is a hen-sized bird, the Cagou or Kagu, which cannot fly, has a large crest, and a funny cooing, and whose song and image serves as an emblem. The Niaouli tree, which also grows in Australia and New Guinea, is of medical interest, as its sap gives gomenol, which smells like camphor and is used to treat head colds. Pangea broke into the two supercontinents, Laurasia and Gondwana The southern supercontinent Gondwana (originally Gondwanaland) included most of the landmasses which make up todays continents of the southern hemisphere, including Antarctica, South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Arabia, Australia-New Guinea and New Zealand. ... This article is about the ecological meaning of endemic. See also endemic (epidemiology). ... The Biodiversity of New Caledonia, a large Pacific island group, is considered to be one of the most important in the region. ... Binomial name Rhynochetos jubatus Verreaux & DesMurs, 1860 The Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) is a long-legged greyish bird found in the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. ...

Before the Europeans arrived, there was no mammal other than the roussette (aka flying fox), a big vegetarian bat, a local delicacy. Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera within the order Chiroptera (bats). ...

The islands make up two terrestrial ecoregions, the New Caledonia rain forests on the Loyalty Islands, Ile des Pins, and the eastern side of Grand Terre, and the New Caledonia dry forests in the rain shadow on the western side of Grand Terre. As the Europeans settled on the dry west coast and left the east to Kanaks, the political division maps the natural one. The New Caledonia rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion, located in New Caledonia in the South Pacific. ...

New Caledonia's freshwater ecology also evolved in long isolation, and the New Caledonia rivers and streams are home to many endemic species.

The New Caledonia Barrier Reef, which surrounds the Grande Terre and the Ile des Pins, is the second-largest coral reef in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef, reaching a length of 1500 km. The reef has great species diversity, is home to endangered dugongs (Dugong dugon), and is an important nesting site for Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). The New Caledonia Barrier Reef is located in New Caledonia in the South Pacific, and is the second-largest coral reef in the world, after Australias Great Barrier Reef. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef. ... Satellite image of a part of the Great Barrier Reef. ... Binomial name Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776) The Dugong (Dugong dugon) is the smallest member of the order Sirenia (which also includes the manatees and Stellers Sea Cow). ...

Administration

Along with other Pacific Ocean's territories of French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia is part of the French Republic. Its official status is that of a sui generis collectivity (collectivité sui generis), a status unique in the French Republic. New Caledonia was a colony until 1946, then an overseas territory (territoire d'outre-mer, or TOM) from 1946 to 1999. The capital is Nouméa. Sui generis is a (post) Latin expression, literally meaning of its own gender/genus or unique in its characteristics. ... -1... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A Territoire doutre-mer (TOM, French for Overseas territory) is an administrative divisions of France. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Orbital photo of Nouméa, New Caledonia, taken from the International Space Station. ...

History

The western Pacific was first populated about 50,000 years ago. The Austronesians moved into the area later. The diverse group of people that settled over the Melanesian archipelagos are known as the Lapita. They arrived in the archipelago now commonly known as New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands around 1500 BCE. The Lapita were highly skilled navigators and agriculturists with influence over a large area of the Pacific. For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... Melanesia (from Greek black islands) is a region extending from the west Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. ... An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... Lapita is the common name of an ancient Pacific Ocean culture which is believed by some to be the common ancestor of several cultures in Polynesia and surrounding areas. ... An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. ... (Redirected from 1500 BCE) Centuries: 17th century BC - 16th century BC - 15th century BC Decades: 1550s BC 1540s BC 1530s BC 1520s BC 1510s BC - 1500s BC - 1490s BC 1480s BC 1470s BC 1460s BC 1450s BC Events and Trends Stonehenge built in Wiltshire, England The element Mercury has been... Lapita is the common name of an ancient Pacific Ocean culture which is believed by some to be the common ancestor of several cultures in Polynesia and surrounding areas. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ...

From about the 11th century CE Polynesians also arrived and mixed with the populations of the archipelago. (10th century - 11th century - 12th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... CE is common usage for Common Era, Current Era, or Christian Era (this year is 2005 CE). ...

Europeans first sighted New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the late 18th century. The British explorer James Cook sighted Grande Terre in 1774 and named it New Caledonia, after the Scottish highlands, which the Romans had called Caledonia. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... British explorer James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ... Guadeloupe consists of two islands separated by a salt river and whose combined shape resembles a butterfly. ... 1774 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

British and North American whalers and sandalwood traders became interested in New Caledonia and tensions developed as their approach became increasingly dishonest (an arrogant attitude and cheating became commonplace). Europeans used alcohol and tobacco amongst other things to barter for commodities. Contact with Europeans brought new diseases such as smallpox, measles, dysentery, influenza, syphilis and leprosy. Many people died as a result of these diseases. Tensions developed into hostilities and in 1849 CE the crew of the Cutter were killed and eaten by the Pouma clan. The branches of a young sandalwood tree found in Hawaii Sandalwood is the wood of trees of the genus Santalum. ... In general usage, alcohol (from Arabic al-khwl الكحول, or al-ghawl الغول) refers almost always to ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, and often to any beverage that contains ethanol (see alcoholic beverage). ... Species N. glauca N. longiflora N. rustica N. sylvestris N. tabacum Ref: ITIS 30562 as of 2002-08-28 Tobacco () is a broad-leafed plant of the nightshade family, indigenous to North and South America, whose dried and cured leaves are often smoked (see tobacco smoking) in the form of... Barter is a simple form of trade where goods or services are exchanged for a certain amount of other goods or services, i. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ... Dysentery is a severe diarrhea illness often associated with blood in the feces. ... Negatively stained flu virions. ... Depression-era U.S. poster advocating early syphilis treatment Syphilis (historically called lues) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by a spirochaete bacterium, Treponema pallidum. ... Father Damien was a Roman Catholic missionary who helped lepers on Hawaii and also died of the disease. ... CE is common usage for Common Era, Current Era, or Christian Era (this year is 2005 CE). ...

As trade in sandalwood declined it was replaced by a new form of trade. Blackbirding involved enslaving people from New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to work in sugar cane plantations in Fiji and Queensland. The trade ceased at the start of the 20th century. The branches of a young sandalwood tree found in Hawaii Sandalwood is the wood of trees of the genus Santalum. ... This badge from 1906 shows the use of the expression White Australia at that time The White Australia Policy, the policy of excluding all non white people from the Australian continent, was the official policy of all governments and all mainstream political parties in Australia from the 1890s to the... The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ...

Catholic and Protestant missionaries first arrived in the 19th century. They had a profound effect on indigenous culture. They insisted people should wear clothes to cover themselves and introduced cricket and tea. They eradicated many local practices and traditions. For more coverage of cricket, go to the Cricket Portal. ... A cup of tea A tea bush. ...

Settled by 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. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A penal colony is a colony used to house prisoners. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Since 1986 New Caledonia is on a United Nations list of non-self-governing territories, a list that also includes such places as the American Samoa, the British Falkland Islands, or the New Zealand territory of Tokelau, but which noticeably does not include places like Tibet or Irian Jaya. Agitation by the Front de Libération Nationale Kanak Socialiste (FLNKS) for independence began in 1985. The FLNKS (led by the late Jean Marie Tjibaou, assassinated in 1989) advocated the creation of an independent state of 'Kanaky'. The troubles culminated in 1988 with a bloody hostage taking in Ouvéa. The unrest led to agreement on increased autonomy in the Matignon Accords of 1988 and the Nouméa Accord of 1998. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... The borders of Historical Tibet (blue), as claimed by the Government of Tibet in Exile. ... Map showing Papua province in Indonesia Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... From April 22, 1988 to May 5, 1988, independence fighters took 27 French gendarmes as hostages in the island of Ouvéa, New Caledonia, requesting instant independence of New Caledonia from France. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Politics

Main article: Politics of New Caledonia The contents of this page have yet fully to incorporate the effects of the Noumea Accord of 1998 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 Data code...

The unique status of New Caledonia is in between that of an independent country and a regular overseas département of France. On the one hand, a territorial Congress (Congrès du territoire) and a government of the territory have been established, and a devolution of powers is organized by the 1998 Nouméa Accord. Key areas such as taxation, labor law, health and hygiene and foreign trade are already in the hands of the territorial Congress. Further competence will supposedly be given to the territorial Congress in the near future. Eventually, the French Republic should only remain competent for foreign affairs, justice, defence, public order, and treasury. Under the 1946 Constitution of the Fourth Republic, the French colonies of Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana in the Caribbean and Réunion in the Indian Ocean became départements doutre-mer (Overseas departments) or DOMs. ...

A New Caledonian "citizenship" has also been introduced: only New Caledonian "citizens" have the right to vote in the local elections. This measure has been criticized, because it creates a second-class status for French citizens living in New Caledonia who do not possess New Caledonian "citizenship" (because they settled in the territory recently). New Caledonia is also allowed to engage in international cooperation with independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. Finally, the territorial Congress is allowed to pass statutes that are derogatory to French law in a certain number of areas.

On the other hand, New Caledonia remains an integral part of the French Republic. Inhabitants of New Caledonia are French citizens and carry French passports. They take part in the legislative and presidential French elections. New Caledonia sends two representatives to the French National Assembly and one senator to the French Senate. The representative of the French central state in New Caledonia is the High Commissioner of the Republic (Haut-Commissaire de la République, locally known as "haussaire"), who is the head of civil services, and who seats in the government of the territory. The Palais Bourbon, front The French National Assembly (French: Assembly national) is one of the two houses of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. ... The Senate (in French : le Sénat) is the upper house of the Parliament of France. ...

It was decided in the Nouméa Accord that the territorial Congress will have the right to call for a referendum on independence after 2014, at a time of its choosing. A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... 2014 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The current president of the government elected by the territorial Congress is Marie-Noëlle Thémereau, from the loyalist (i.e. anti-independence) Avenir ensemble party ("Future together"), which toppled the long-time ruling RPCR (Rally for Caledonia inside the Republic) in May 2004. "Future Together" is a party of mostly Caucasian and Polynesian New Caledonians opposed to independence but tired of the hegemonic and allegedly corrupt anti-independence RPCR. Their toppling of the RPCR (that was until then seen as the only voice of New Caledonian whites) was a surprise to many, and a sign that the society of New Caledonia is undergoing changes. "Future together", as the name implies, is opposed to a racial vision of New Caledonian society, opposing Melanesians native inhabitants and European settlers, and is in favor of a multicultural New Caledonia, better reflecting the existence of large populations of Polynesians, Indonesians, Chinese, and other immigrants. Some members of "Future Together" are even in favor of independence, though not necessarily on the same basis as the Melanesian independence parties.

Demographics

Political life is complicated by the fact that the indigenous Melanesian Kanak community is now a minority of some 44% (at 1996 census) following earlier population decline and immigration under French rule. The rest of the population is made up of whites (34%), Polynesians (Wallisians, Futunians, Tahitians) (11.5%), Indonesians (2.5%), Vietnamese (1.4%), ni-Vanuatu (1.1%), and others (5.5%). Whites that have lived in New Caledonia for several generations are locally known as "Caldoches". There is a significant contingent of people that arrive from France to work for a year or two and others that have come to retire. Melanesia (from Greek black islands) is a region extending from the west Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. ... Polynesia (from Greek, poly = many and nesi = island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean. ... The Collectivity of Wallis and Futuna (French: Collectivité de Wallis et Futuna) is a group of mainly three volcanic tropical islands (Wallis, Futuna, and Alofi) with fringing reefs located in the South Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa. ... The Collectivity of Wallis and Futuna (French: Collectivité de Wallis et Futuna) is a group of mainly three volcanic tropical islands (Wallis, Futuna, and Alofi) with fringing reefs located in the South Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa. ... Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, at 17°40′ S 149°30′ W. The island had a population of 169,674 inhabitants at the 2002 census. ...

Censuses are extremely critical to the balance of power in the territory, and the organization of a new census has been regularly postponed since 1996. It is estimated that the population has considerably increased since 1996, notably due to arrivals of people from metropolitan (i.e. European) France. Current population could be as high as 300,000 inhabitants (from 196,836 in 1996, a figure allegedly 10-15% below reality at the time). According to police and airport data, there would be between 1,000 and 5,000 people from metropolitan France arriving in New Caledonia every year. This is extremely controversial, especially among the indigenous community. A new census was finally carried out in August 2004, and results are expected soon. However, due to an intervention by French president Jacques Chirac, questions asking for the ethnicity of people have been deleted, officially because they were deemed to contravene the French Constitution, which states that no distinction based on ethnicity or religion should be made among French citizens. Consequently, it will be impossible to know the current ethnic balance. Many people have called for a boycott of the referendum, due to the lack of questions on ethnicity, threatening to derail the current census campaign. 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The term Metropolitan France (French: la France métropolitaine, or just la Métropole) refers to the part of France in Europe, including Corsica, as opposed to the overseas departments and overseas territories, which, while integral parts of the French Republic, are regarded as Overseas France (French: la France d... Jacques René Chirac (born 29 November 1932) is a French politician. ... The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958, and has been amended 17 times, most recently on March 28, 2003. ...

Miscellaneous

Economy - overview: New Caledonia has more than 20% of the worlds known nickel resources. ... Telephones - main lines in use: 44,000 (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 825 (1995) Telephone system: domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 107,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 6 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1997) Televisions... New Caledonia (Kanaky) boasts a folk music heritage (la Coutume) in the Melanesian tradition. ... Railways: 0 km Highways: total: 5,562 km paved: 975 km unpaved: 4,587 km (1993) Ports and harbors: Mueo, Nouméa, Thio Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,261 GRT/1,600 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (1999 est. ... Military branches: French Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force Military expenditures - dollar figure: $192. ... Hunter Island is an island in the Pacific Ocean, in dispute between New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu Hunter Island is an island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. ... Glitz and palm trees The Gold Coast is a coastal region approximately 70 kilometres south of Brisbane, Australia that, over the past 50 years, has coalesced from a collection of scattered villages into a city of approximately 480,000 people - currently Australias seventh largest city - and Australias largest...

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