The 1970s and 1980s saw conflict between Kanak peoples in favor of independence from France and the French government establishment. Some of these conflicts resulted in bloodshed. The worst of the conflict ceased in 1988 with agreements reached between the conflicting parties. A full referendum on independence from France will take place on 4 November 2018.
As of 2014 New Caledonia had a population of 268,767.
Also as of 2014 census 39.1% of the population reported belonging to the Kanak community, 27.2% to the European community and 8.7% declared their community as “Caledonian” and other . Most of the people who self-identified as “Caledonian” are thought to be ethnically European although born on New Caledonia.
The predominant religion is Christianity with at least half of the population being Roman Catholic. The island also has numerous Protestant churches.
The New Caledonia economy is a powerhouse in the Pacific region. This economic strength is unusual among the constituent territories of Overseas France.
New Caledonia ranks 5th in the region, behind Australia,
and Papua New Guinea.
The total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2011 was 9.89 billion USD. The economy of New Caledonia is strongly tied to nickel production. In fact, New Caledonia holds approximately 25% of the world’s recoverable nickel resources. This sector of the economy accounted for over 75% of the total exports.
Despite this economic strength, financial support from France is still substantial, representing some 15% of the GDP.
Tourism is not a significant part of the economy on New Caledonia, with only about 100,000 visitors per year.
As is true of all component territories of Overseas France, the only official flag is the French tricolor.
However, there is an unofficial flag
that may be seen flying in New Caledonia and this is the flag we flew today on our own flagpole.
This flag was approved in July 2010 by the Congress of New Caledonia.
The blue symbolizes the sky and the ocean surrounding New Caledonia. The red symbolizes the blood shed by the Kanaks in their struggle for independence. The green symbolizes the land itself. The yellow disc is a representation of the sun and the symbol upon it consists of a flèche faitière,
a kind of arrow that adorns the roofs of Kanak houses thrust through tutut shells.
At least three of the provinces of New Caledonia have their own, unofficial flags. There are also flags used for international gaming events and a defaced version of the tricolor of France that features a New Caledonian symbol in the white field.
Our next flag will take us back to the Indian Ocean