Environment - current issues: erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires
Geography - note: consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls
People New Caledonia
Population: 207,858 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30% (male 31,862; female 30,577) 15-64 years: 64.1% (male 67,043; female 66,102) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 5,777; female 6,497) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.43% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 19.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 5.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.)