Country name
conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form: New Caledonia
local long form : Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances
local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie

Data code NC

Dependency status overseas territory of France since 1956

Government type NA

National capital Noumea

Administrative divisions none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrativedivisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces namedIles Loyaute, Nord, and Sud

Independence none (overseas territory of France; a referendum on independence willbe held in 1998)

National holiday National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands;formerly under French law

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), representedby High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government Dominque BUR(since NA August 1995)
head of government: President of the Territorial Congress Pierre FROGIER (since 31 July1995)
cabinet: Consultative Committee
elections: high commissioner appointed by the president of France on the adviceof the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Congresselected by the members of the congress

Legislative branch unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial (54 seats; membersare members of the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provincialeselected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 9 July 1995 (next to be held NA July 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR 22, FLNKS 12, UNCT7, various left parties 7, various right parties 6
note : New Caledonia elects 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held27 September 1992 (next to be held NA September 2001); results - percent ofvote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR 1; New Caledonia also elects 2 seatsto the French National Assembly; elections last held 21 March 1993 (next tobe held 25 May-1 June 1997 - special election); results - percent of voteby party - NA; seats by party - RPCR 2

Judicial branch Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique orRPCR (conservative) [Jacques LAFLEUR, president] - affiliated to France'sRassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (also called South Province Party); Melanesian proindependence Kanaka Socialist National Liberation Front orFLNKS [Rock WAMYTAN]; Melanesian moderate Kanak Socialist Liberation or LKS[Nidoish NAISSELINE]; National Front or FN (extreme right) [Guy GEORGE]; CaledonieDemain or CD (right-wing) [Bernard MARANT]; Union Oceanienne or UO (conservative)[Michel HEMA]; Front de Developpement des Iles Loyautes or FDIL [Cono HAMU];Union Caledonian or UC [Francois BURCK, president]; A New Caledonia for Allor UNCT [Didier LEROUX]

International organization participation ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WFTU, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description three horizontal bands, blue (top), red, and green, with a yellow diskenclosing a black symbol centered to the hoist side; the flag of France is used for official occasions

NOTE: The information regarding New Caledonia on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of New Caledonia Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about New Caledonia Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.