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New Caledonia referendum
October 10 , 2020
1417 days
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- The French territory of New Caledonia voted against independence from France in a referendum held recently.
- The referendum was a part of a decolonisation plan agreed in 1998, known as the Noumea Accord.
- New Caledonia is an archipelago and special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
- The indigenous Kanaks represent around 39% of the population, while European settlers (known as Caldoches) make up about 27%.
- New Caledonia has deep divisions between its indigenous Kanak population and Europeans, with indigenous Kanaks favouring independence and Europeans being against it.
History
- New Caledonia was discovered in 1774 by the British navigator James Cook.
- It was annexed by France in 1853.
- In 1946, New Caledonia became an overseas territory.
- By 1953, French citizenship had been granted to all New Caledonians, regardless of ethnicity.
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