Special collectivity of France
Capital: Nouméa
Language: French (official)
Population: Abt. 250,000
Area: 18,576 Sq km
GDP (nominal): US$8.85 billion (2010)
GDP Per capita: US$35,436 (2010)
The Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies or (conventional form) New Caledonia is a French overseas territory located in the southwest of Pacific Ocean, east of Australia. It will remain French territory until 2014, when a referendum will probably be held.
Just like other countries in the Pacific, land ownership in New Caledonia is difficult to establish. Acquiring rights to lease land is difficult because of ancestral traditions of passing ownership rights of lands. Aside from that, there are disputes between the colonizers and the natives regarding who truly own the land.