How well do you know New Caledonia?

New Caledonia has a population of 271,000 people.
The birth rate in 2017 was 15 per 1000 people, while the death rate was 5.7 per 1000 people.
The population is growing at a rate of 1.3% per year.
The birth rate has been declining and was 14.5 per 1000 people in 2017.
The average age of mothers having their first child increased from 24.6 to 29.5 years.
Larger cities are only found in the Nouméa metropolitan area.
Smaller islands each have their own municipality.
There are about 28 Kanak languages spoken in New Caledonia.
These languages belong to the Austronesian language family.
Maurice Leenhardt was a French ethnologist who researched these languages in New Caledonia.
New Caledonia was a French colony in the Pacific.
The indigenous Kanak people began advocating for independence in the 1970s.
In 1984, violence erupted between Kanak separatists and French settlers.
The UN added New Caledonia to its list of territories to be decolonized in 1986.
A referendum in 1987 was boycotted by most Kanak people.
In April 1988, separatists took 27 police officers and a judge hostage on the island of Ouvéa.
The French military ended the hostage crisis, resulting in the deaths of 19 separatists and 2 security personnel.
The crisis was a response to a law limiting the political influence of Kanak separatists.
A new reform plan was enacted, but it did not lead to significant change.
The issue of independence for New Caledonia continues to be debated.
Neukaledonien's debt ratio rose to 255% in 2022.
Neukaledonien uses the French Pacific Franc, which is tied to the Euro.
Neukaledonien is not integrated into the European VAT system, allowing tax-free imports from Europe.
Import duties are levied by the Neukaledonian customs.
In 2019, over 126,000 tourists visited Neukaledonien, with most coming from France, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.
Tourism was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The education system is not mentioned in detail in the text.

The school system in New Caledonia is similar to that of France, with the exception of holidays.
The only university is the University of New Caledonia in Nouméa.
The healthcare system is well-equipped, with some medical imaging procedures being the exception.
Most illnesses can be treated locally, but patients may be evacuated to Australia or France if necessary.
The Tjibaou Cultural Center is a regional center for cultural events.
New Caledonia has been the most successful participant in the Pacific Games.
Rugby and football are popular sports in New Caledonia.
The island has experienced natural disasters such as Cyclone Erica and outbreaks of diseases like dengue fever.
Commercial flights to and from New Caledonia were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Caledonia experienced a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in 2021, including cases of the Omicron variant.