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New CaledoniaCategories
PhotosNews | New Caledonia MapLatitude: -20.90431 Longtitude: 165.61804 Location:Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of AustraliaBorder Countries:Terrain:coastal plains with interior mountainsGeography: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 atollsCapital:NoumeaAbout New CaledoniaSettled 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.Population:224,824 (July 2008 est.)Language:French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialectsReligion:Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%Phone Service:NACurrency:Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)Climate:tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humidNatural Hazards:cyclones, most frequent from November to March | ||
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