New Caledonia: Background & Geography

Introduction New Caledonia
Background:
 Settled 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 has dissipated.
Geography 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:
 total: 19,060 sq km
water: 485 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km
Area - comparative:
 slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
 0 km
Coastline:
 2,254 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
 tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain:
 coastal plains with interior mountains
Elevation extremes:
 lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m
Natural resources:
 nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
Land use:
 arable land: 0.38%
permanent crops: 0.33%
other: 99.29% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
 160 sq km (1991)
Natural hazards:
 cyclones, most frequent from November to March
Environment - current issues:
 erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires
Geography - note:
 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 atolls

See Also: