| New Caledonia Kanaky | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Nouméa |
| Official languages | French |
| Government | Devolved parliamentary dependency |
• High Commissioner | Louis Le Franc |
• President of the Government | Louis Mapou |
| Area | |
• Total | 18,576 km² |
| Population | |
• 2019 census | 271,407 |
Kanky, officially known as New Caledonia, is a French settler-colony in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) has been struggling for national liberation and independence since the 1980s.[1]
History
James Cook became the first European to visit New Caledonia in 1774, naming the archipelago New Caledonia after the old name for Scotland; Caledonia.[2]
New Caledonia in 1853 was declared a possession of France and in 1860 became a colony.[2] The archipelago was a penal colony and many members of the Paris Commune were exiled to New Caledonia after 1871.[3] New Caledonia became a French Overseas Territory in 1946.[4] In 1998, the FLNKS signed an agreement with France to extend more rights to indigenous Kanak peoples.[1]
2021 independence referendum
The FLNKS boycotted a 2021 referendum for independence from France. 96.5% of votes in the referendum were against independence, but only 43.87% of the population voted in the referendum.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 B. A. Ford (2020-10-19). "Kanaky-New Caledonia independence vote shines light on imperialism in the Pacific" People's Voice. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 V. Z. Klepikov (1979). The Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 'New Caledonia; Historical Survey'.
- ↑ Robert Aldrich, John Connell (2006). France's Overseas Frontier: Départements et territoires d'outre-mer (p. 46). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521030366
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Progressive sections denounce outcome of New Caledonia referendum" (2021-12-20). Peoples Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2022-09-09.