Abstract
Papua New Guinea (PNG) and New Caledonia (NC) have two key things in common. First, they both belong to the geopolitical region known as Melanesia, which was originally defined (by Europeans) in terms of the racial, linguistic and cultural characteristics of its indigenous population. Second, they have comparable levels of economic dependence on the extraction and export of mineral resources. In the past decade, the extractive industry sector has accounted for roughly 80 per cent of the value of PNGs exports and more than 90 per cent of the value of NCs exports. In most other respects, these two places are profoundly different. PNG achieved its independence from Australia in 1975; NC is still technically part of France. Under the terms of the Nouméa Agreement of 1998, NC ceased to be an overseas territory and became a special collectivity, and a referendum on full independence must be held by the end of 2018. Despite the current difference in political status, we shall refer to both of them as countries.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Large-scale Mines and Local-level Politics Between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea |
Editors | Colin Filer, Pierre-Yves Le Meur |
Place of Publication | Canberra |
Publisher | ANU Press |
Pages | 1-59 |
Volume | 1 |
Edition | 1 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781760461492 |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |