Voters in the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia overwhelmingly chose to remain part of France in a referendum.

The referendum was closely watched amid growing Chinese influence in the South Pacific region.

However, pro-independence forces did not take part in the referendum held on Sunday 13, 2021. The overall turnout was just 41%.

The archipelago became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon and was used once as a prison colony.

Located east of Australia that is 10 time zones ahead of Paris, New Caledonia is a vast archipelago of about 270,000 people.

After World War II New Caledonia became an overseas territory. French citizenship was granted to all indigenous Kanaks in 1957. Kanaks make up 39.1% of the population of New Caledonia.

Why New Caledonia is important for France
Keeping New Caledonia is important for French geopolitical ambitions in Indo-Pacific.

New Caledonia has large deposits of nickel, a vital component in manufacturing electronics.

Earlier Djibouti in 1977 and Vanuatu in 1980 were French territories that had broken away from France are now independent countries.