The South Province () is one of three
administrative divisions
Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...
in
New Caledonia
New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
.
It corresponds to the southern and southwestern portion of the
New Caledonian mainland.
It is by far the most economically developed and most urbanized part of the
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
and indeed in the entire
Melanesia
Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...
n region. The South Province is also the only part of New Caledonia - and Melanesia - where ethnic
Melanesians
Melanesians are the predominant and Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in an area stretching from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands. Most speak one of the many languages of the Austronesian languages, Austronesian l ...
do not constitute an absolute majority of the population.
The provincial assembly and executive are in
Nouméa
Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...
. The administrative services of the French state, however, are located in
La Foa
La Foa () is a commune in the South Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.
Although the provincial seat of the South Province is in Nouméa, La Foa was made the chief town of the administrative subdivis ...
, with a Deputy Commissioner of the Republic (''commissaire délégué de la République''), akin to a
subprefect
A subprefect is a senior government official in several countries at the local level, such as Brazil and France.
Brazil
In Brazil, a subprefect (''subprefeito'') is the highest official of a subprefecture, which is a subdivision of certain large ...
of
metropolitan France
Metropolitan France ( or ), also known as European France (), is the area of France which is geographically in Europe and chiefly comprises #Hexagon, the mainland, popularly known as "the Hexagon" ( or ), and Corsica. This collective name for the ...
, in residence there. La Foa was chosen by the French central State in the late 1980s to counterbalance the overwhelming weight of Nouméa in New Caledonia
The central State administrative services in La Foa are not to be confused with the central State administrative services in Nouméa. The former manage local matters at the provincial level, whereas the latter, with the High Commissioner of the Republic in New Caledonia at their head, manage territorial matters for the whole of New Caledonia.
Provincial Assembly
Of the 40 seats in the provincial assembly, the
Rally-UMP holds 15, the
Caledonia Together
Caledonia Together () is a political party in New Caledonia. The party was established on 14 October 2008 as a split from Future Together led by Philippe Gomès. The party is centrist and opposed to independence.
Future Together, a centrist pa ...
has 12, the
Future Together
Future Together (, ) was a center-right political party in New Caledonia supporting the maintenance of political and administrative ties with France.
The name ''l'Avenir Ensemble'' reflects the party's desire to unite New Caledonians of all ethn ...
has 5, the
Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front
The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (, FLNKS) is a pro-independence alliance of political parties in New Caledonia. It was founded in 1984 at a congress of various political parties. Its supporters are mostly from the Kanak indig ...
has 4, the
Movement for Diversity
The Movement for Diversity (, LMD) is a right-wing political party in New Caledonia, strongly supportive of the French status of the region; it is close to the French Union for a Popular Movement.
History
Jacques Lafleur, the former leader of ...
has 2, the Union for a Caledonian Destiny has 1 and there is 1
miscellaneous right
Miscellaneous right (', ''DVD'') in France refers to centre-right or right-wing candidates who are not members of any large party. This can include members of small right-wing parties, dissidents expelled from their party for running against thei ...
(ex-
Rally for Caledonia
The Rally for Caledonia (, RPC) was a Gaullist political party in New Caledonia, strongly supportive of the French status of the region; it is close to the French Union for a Popular Movement.
History
Jacques Lafleur had been the historical le ...
).
Notable people
*
Ilaïsaane Lauouvéa
Ilaïsaane Lauouvéa (born 1970) is a New Caledonian politician, who from 2009 to 2014 was an elected member of the Congress of New Caledonia representing the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front.
Education
Lauouvéa was born in 1970 ...
- former assembly member
See also
*
Politics of New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a French sui generis collectivity with a system of government based on parliamentarism and representative democracy. The President of the Government is the head of government, and there is a multi-party system, with Executiv ...
References
Provinces of New Caledonia
Geography of New Caledonia
{{NewCaledonia-geo-stub