French security forces are stepping up efforts to regain control of New Caledonia amid ongoing and deadly unrest.
About New Caledonia:
It is a French overseas collectivity with significant autonomy under the terms of the 1998 Nouméa Accord.
It is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1,500 km) east of Australia.
Unlike many Pacific islands that are of relatively recent volcanic origin, New Caledonia is an ancient fragment of the Gondwana supercontinent.
It comprises the main island of Grande Terre, the four Loyalty Islands (Ouvéa, Lifou, Tiga, and Maré), the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and some remote islands.
Capital: Nouméa (located on Grande Terre)
Population:
Just over 270,000 people live in New Caledonia (2019). Approximately 39 percent are indigenous ('Kanak').
The remainder are Caledonians of European, Polynesian, and other (including Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Algerian) origins.
New Caledonians are French and European citizens with the right to live anywhere in France. They are entitled to vote in territorial and French national elections.
The President of the French Republic is New Caledonia's Head of State and is represented in New Caledonia by a High Commissioner.
It is one of the European Union’s (EU) Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) but is not part of the EU, the Euro, or Schengen zones.
The Nouméa Accord (1998) and consequent Organic Law (March 1999) provide the constitutional framework under which New Caledonia is governed. The Accord also defines New Caledonia's relations with France and sets out a timetable for New Caledonia to assume responsibility for most areas of government.
New Caledonia is the seat of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, formed by Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 1947 to promote economic and social stability in the countries of the South Pacific.
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