New Caledonia is a sui generis collectivity of overseas France in the southwest Pacific Ocean,south of Vanuatu,about 1,210 km (750 mi) east of Australia,and 17,000 km (11,000 mi) from Metropolitan France. The archipelago,part of the Melanesia subregion,includes the main island of Grande Terre,the Loyalty Islands,the Chesterfield Islands,the Belep archipelago,the Isle of Pines,and a few remote islets. The Chesterfield Islands are in the Coral Sea. French people,especially locals,call Grande Terre "Le Caillou".
Nouméa is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island,Grande Terre,and is home to the majority of the island's European,Polynesian,Indonesian,and Vietnamese populations,as well as many Melanesians,Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific's most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deepwater harbour that serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.
The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front is a pro-independence alliance of political parties in New Caledonia. It was founded in 1984 at a congress of various political parties. Its supporters are mostly from the Kanak indigenous population but also include supporters from other ethnic communities.
The Caledonian Union is a pro-independence and the oldest political party in New Caledonia. In the latest legislative elections of May 10,2009,the party won around 11.65% of the popular vote,and 9 out of 54 seats in the Territorial Congress.
The Nouméa Accord of 1998 is a promise by the French Republic to grant increased political power to New Caledonia and its original population,the Kanaks,over a twenty-year transition period. It was signed 5 May 1998 by Lionel Jospin,and approved in a referendum in New Caledonia on 8 November,with 72% voting in favour. Under the accord,two more referendum votes,on whether to remain a special collectivity of France or become an independent state,have been held. One was held in 2018,and the second was held in 2020. In both votes a majority chose to remain French. The Nouméa Accord permitted a final referendum to be held,voted for by the Congress of New Caledonia. It was held December 2021 and widely rejected independence amid boycott by the independence movement.
Caldoche is the name given to inhabitants of the French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia of European ethnic origin who have settled in New Caledonia since the 19th century. The formal name to refer to this particular population is Calédoniens,short for the very formal Néo-Calédoniens,but this self-appellation technically includes all inhabitants of the New Caledonian archipelago,not just the Caldoche.
Two flags are in use in New Caledonia,an overseas territory of France. Up to 2010,the only flag used to represent New Caledonia was the flag of France,a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue,white,and red known to English speakers as the French Tricolour or simply the Tricolour. However,in July 2010,the Congress of New Caledonia voted in favour of a wish to fly the Kanak flag of the independence movement FLNKS alongside the French Tricolour. The wish,legally non-binding,proved controversial. A majority of New Caledonian communes,but not all,now fly both flags,the rest flying only the French Tricolour.
Dick Ukeiwé was a New Caledonian politician. Born in Lifou,France,he represented the island in the French Senate from 1983 until 1992,and was a member of the Rally for the Republic. He served as President of the Congress of New Caledonia from 1985 to 1988. His son,Bernard Ukeiwé(1953–2008),was also a New Caledonian politician. Ukeiwédied,aged 84,on 3 September 2013 in Dumbéa.
Charles 'Charly' Pidjot was a pro-independence politician from New Caledonia who was a member of the Kanak people. He was born in the community of Conceptions in Le Mont-Dore (New-Caledonia) and was the president of the Caledonian Union from 8 November 2007 to his death.
Legislative elections were held in New Caledonia on 11 May 2014. The result was a victory for the three anti-independence parties,which together won 29 of the 54 seats in the Congress of New Caledonia.
The Kanaks are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia,an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. According to the 2019 census,the Kanaks make up 41.2% of New Caledonia's total population —corresponding to around 112,000 people.
An independence referendum was held in New Caledonia on 4 November 2018. Voters were given the choice of remaining part of France or becoming an independent country.
DéwéGorodey was a New Caledonian teacher,writer,feminist and politician. She was active in agitating for independence from France in the 1970s. She published poetry,short stories and novels. From 1999,she was a member of the New Caledonian government,representing the pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front. From April 2001 to June 2009,she served almost continuously as Vice President of the Government of New Caledonia.
An independence referendum was held in New Caledonia on 4 October 2020. The poll was the second to be held under the terms of the Nouméa Accord,following a similar referendum in 2018.
Events from 2020 in New Caledonia.
An independence referendum was held in New Caledonia,a French territory in the South Pacific,on 12 December 2021. The poll was the third and final to be held under the terms of the Nouméa Accord,following votes in 2018 and 2020,in which independence was rejected by 56.7% and 53.3% respectively.
Didier Poidyaliwane was a New Caledonian politician. A pro-independence activist,he was a member of the Caledonian Union (UC) and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) and strongly defended the rights of indigenous Kanak people. He served in the cabinet of Philippe Germain and Thierry Santa as a minister in the Government of New Caledonia.
Caroline Machoro-Reignier is a Kanak politician in New Caledonia. A member of the pro-independence Caledonian Union,she led the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front alliance in the Congress of New Caledonia from 2011 to 2014. In 1988,she was one of the signatories of the Matignon Agreements between New Caledonian loyalists and separatists.
Virginie Ruffenach is a politician from New Caledonia. She is a member of The Rally and the chairperson of the Future with Confidence alliance in the Congress of New Caledonia.
Events from 2023 in New Caledonia.
