Region: Oceania

Capital: Noumea

Population: 213,679 (July 2004 est.)

Surface Area: 19,060 sq km

Currency: Comptoirs Français du Pacifique franc (XPF)

GDP per capita: Purchasing Power Parity - $15,000 (2001 est.)

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.

Economy – Overview:
New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than one-fourth of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years.