New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a group of islands east of Australia in the South Pacific, the largest of which is Grand Terre. It has been a French possession since 1853, although an increasing amount of governing responsibility has been transferred from France to New Caledonia since the 1998 Noumea Accord. Population in 2009 was estimated at 227,436, with 26.8 percent of the population under 14 years of age and 7.3 percent 65 years of age or older.

The population growth rate is 1.14 percent, with 17.4 births per 1,000 population and 5.6 deaths per 1,000, and a total fertility rate (the number of children born to each woman) of 2.2. Life expectancy at birth is 72 years for males and 78.1 years for females. The sex ratio ...