eight_col_new_cali.jpg Voters in Montravel, New Caledonia, line up to cast their vote in the independence referendum. It is the first auto-determination vote to be held in a French territory since Djibouti in the Horn of Africa voted for independence in 1977. First discovered by the British explorer James Cook, the New Caledonia archipelago lies more than 16,700 kms (10,377 miles) from France. More than 100 years later, in the mid-1980s, fighting broke out between supporters of independence and those who wanted to remain French, amid festering anger over poverty and poor job opportunities. A 1998 deal provided for a referendum on independence to be held by the end of 2018.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 04, 2018 04:07 UTC