New Caledonia, an island in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) east of Australia. It is roughly 250 miles (400 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) wide, with an area of 6,220 square miles (16,110 km 2 ). With its dependencies— the Isle of Pines, Walpole Island, and the Loyalty, Huon, Chesterfield, and Belep islands—New Caledonia forms an overseas territory of France that covers 7,358 square miles (19,057 km 2 ). Rugged mountain ranges, with peaks more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) high, extend the length of the island. Lowlands fringe the west coast. The climate is warm and humid.
Mining is the chief economic activity on New Caledonia, which is one of the world's leading sources of nickel and a producer of chromium and iron ore. Commercial agriculture yields coffee and coconuts for export and beef cattle for the local market. Yams, taro, corn, rice, and other foods are widely grown on a subsistence basis.
In 1989 New Caledonia and its dependencies had a population of 164,173, composed primarily of Melanesians and people of French descent. Most of the inhabitants live on New Caledonia, nearly half of them in or near Nouméa, the capital and largest city.
Captain James Cook discovered New Caledonia in 1774 and named it for Scotland (Caledonia). In the 1840's missionaries claimed the island for France. It was formally annexed by the French in 1853 and was used primarily as a penal colony between 1860 and 1900.
The island and its dependencies were made an overseas territory in 1946. During the 1970's and 1980's, a Melanesian independence movement developed. In 1988 fighting that had broken out between Melanesians and French loyalists ended with an agreement that provided for a referendum on self-determination in 1998. In 1998 a referendum was passed that postponed an independence vote.
