NEW CALEDONIA - INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
News: What’s Behind the Deadly Riots
in New Caledonia?
What's in the news?
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French security forces are intensifying their
actions to restore order in New Caledonia due to continuing and fatal
disturbances.
New Caledonia:
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It is situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,500 km east of
Australia.
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It consists of the main island, Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands
(Ouvéa, Lifou, Tiga, and Maré), the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and
several remote islands.
Capital - Nouméa, located on Grande Terre.
Demographics:
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It has been inhabited for several thousand years by
indigenous groups.
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The most notable are the Melanesian Kanak people.
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It has a population of around 270,000 as of 2019,
with approximately 39% being indigenous Kanak people.
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The rest include European Caledonians, Polynesians,
and other groups such as Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Algerian.
Political Status:
1. Autonomy:
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A French overseas collectivity, with substantial
autonomy as per the 1998 Nouméa Accord.
2. Governance:
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It is governed under the Nouméa Accord and the Organic Law of March 1999 which outlines its
constitutional framework and relationship with France.
3. Citizenship:
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Residents are French
and European citizens, with rights to reside anywhere in France and to vote
in territorial and French national elections.
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It has been classified as one of the EU’s Overseas Countries and Territories
(OCTs). However, it is not part of
the EU, Eurozone, or Schengen area.
Go back to basics:
Pacific Community:
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New Caledonia hosts the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, which
was established in 1947 to support economic and social stability in the South
Pacific.
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Its members
include Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom,
and the United States.