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New Caledonia
by Paul Bacsich
For entities in New Caledonia see Category:New Caledonia
New Caledonia (French: officially: Nouvelle-Calédonie; colloquially: (la) Calédonie; popular nicknames: (la) Kanaky, (le) Caillou), is a "sui generis collectivity" of France located in the subregion of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific. It comprises a main island (Grande Terre), the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands. Approximately half the size of Taiwan, it has a land area of 18,575.5 square kilometres (7,172 sq mi).
The population was estimated in January 2009 to be 249,000.
The capital and largest city of the territory is Nouméa.
The currency is the CFP franc - not the euro.
French is the official language, though many people on New Caledonia Island (particularly the main centres) also speak English. There are also 28 local Polynesian and Melanesian dialects in use.
Since 1986 the United Nations Committee on Decolonization has included New Caledonia on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. New Caledonia is set to decide whether to remain within the French Republic or become an independent state in a referendum to be held between 2014 and 2019.
Nouméa, the capital, is also the seat of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (formerly the South Pacific Commission), an international organization.
Education
Education is regarded as important and the country has a high literacy rate (over 90%). Primary and secondary education is free.
Higher Education
University of New Caledonia
The University of New Caledonia (Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie) is a French university, in the Academy of New Caledonia. The university goes back to 1987 when the Université Française du Pacifique (French University of the Pacific) was created, with two centres, one in French Polynesia and the other in New Caledonia. In 1997 the decision was made to split the two parts into separate universities, and so it came about that in 1999 the Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie and the Université de la Polynésie Française were formed.
Its web site is at http://www.univ-nc.nc/
Indications from the web site are that IT is used at the university. Wifi is available, there is online access to some services and there is a virtual campus (campus virtuel) at http://www.univ-nc.nc/Campus-virtuel-de-l-UNC.html?lang=fr which notes (machine-assisted translation from the French):
- The digital education platform is intended, on the one hand, for students to consult resources put online by teachers and on the aother, for people to publish digital resources. To access the platform and fully use its features, you must login with your ID and usual password.
For OER policies and projects in New Caledonia see New Caledonia/OER