22 Facts About New Caledonia

1.

New Caledonia named it "New Caledonia", as the northeast of the island reminded him of Scotland.

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2.

In June 1940, after the fall of France, the Conseil General of New Caledonia voted unanimously to support the Free French government, and in September the pro-Vichy governor was forced to leave for Indochina.

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3.

New Caledonia is a territory sui generis to which France has gradually transferred certain powers.

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4.

At a national level, New Caledonia is represented in the French Parliament by two deputies and two senators.

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5.

New Caledonia has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983 with Noumea the home of the organization's regional headquarters.

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6.

New Caledonia has increasingly adopted its own symbols, choosing an anthem, a motto, and a new design for its banknotes.

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7.

In July 2010, the Congress of New Caledonia voted in favour of a wish to fly the Kanak flag of the independence movement FLNKS alongside the French tricolour, as dual flags of the territory.

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8.

New Caledonia is part of Zealandia, a fragment of the ancient Gondwana super-continent.

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9.

Largely due to its nickel industry, New Caledonia emits a high level of carbon dioxide per person compared to other countries.

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10.

New Caledonia has the world's most divergent lineage of flowering plant, Amborella trichopoda, which is at, or near, the base of the clade of all flowering plants.

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11.

New Caledonia is one of five regions on the planet where species of southern beeches are indigenous; five species are known to occur here.

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12.

New Caledonia has its own version of maquis occurring on metalliferous soils, mostly in the south.

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13.

Several species of New Caledonia are remarkable for their size: Ducula goliath is the largest extant species of arboreal pigeon; Rhacodactylus leachianus, the largest gecko in the world; Phoboscincus bocourti, a large skink thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 2003.

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14.

Much of New Caledonia's fauna present before human settlement is extinct, including Sylviornis, a bird over a metre tall not closely related to any living species, and Meiolania, a giant horned turtle that diverged from living turtles during the Jurassic period.

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15.

The Europeans are divided into several groups: the Caldoches are usually defined as those born in New Caledonia who have ancestral ties that span back to the early French settlers.

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16.

The Metropolitan French-born migrants who come to New Caledonia are called Metros or Zoreilles, indicating their origins in metropolitan France.

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17.

Religion in New Caledonia according to the Global Religious Landscape survey by the Pew Forum, 2012.

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18.

Education in New Caledonia is based on the French curriculum and delivered by both French teachers and French-trained teachers.

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19.

New Caledonia has one of the largest economies in the South Pacific, with a GDP of US$9.

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20.

The currency in use in New Caledonia is the CFP franc, as of May 2020, pegged to the euro at a rate of 119.

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21.

Largest sporting event to be held in New Caledonia is a round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship .

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22.

New Caledonia has a national synchronised swimming team, which tours abroad.

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