New Caledonia

Source-This post on New Caledonia has been created based on the article “France: Will quell New Caledonia riots ‘whatever the cost”published in “Times of India” on 21 May 2024.

Why in News?

French security forces are intensifying their actions to restore order in New Caledonia due to continuing and fatal disturbances.

About New Caledonia

1. Geographical Location: It is situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,500 km east of Australia. It consists of the main island, Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands (Ouvéa, Lifou, Tiga, and Maré), the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and several remote islands.

2. It has been inhabited for several thousand years by indigenous groups. The most notable are the Melanesian Kanak people.

3. Political Status

i) Autonomy: A French overseas collectivity, with substantial autonomy as per the 1998 Nouméa Accord.

ii) Governance: It is governed under the Nouméa Accord and the Organic Law of March 1999 which outlines its constitutional framework and relationship with France.

iii) Head of State: The President of the French Republic is head of state represented locally by a High Commissioner.

4. Demographics

i) Its capital is at Nouméa, located on Grande Terre.

ii) It has population of around 270,000 as of 2019, with approximately 39% being indigenous Kanak people. The rest include European Caledonians, Polynesians, and other groups such as Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Algerian.

iii) Citizenship: Residents are French and European citizens, with rights to reside anywhere in France and to vote in territorial and French national elections.

5)  It has been classified as one of the EU’s Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). However, it is not part of the EU, Eurozone, or Schengen area.

6) New Caledonia hosts the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, which was established in 1947 to support economic and social stability in the South Pacific. Its members include Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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