Politics of New Caledonia second-class status for French citizens living in New Caledonia who do not possess New Caledonian "citizenship" (because they settled in the territory recently). New Caledonia is also allowed to engage in international cooperation with independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. Finally, the territorial Congress is allowed to pass statutes that are contrary to French law in a certain number of areas. On the other hand, New Caledonia remains an integral part of the French Republic. Inhabitants of New Caledonia are French citizens and carry French passports. They take part in the legislative and presidential French elections. New Caledonia sends two
New Caledonia rivers and lakes of New Caledonia. Some, such as "Neogalaxias", exist only in small areas. The nautilus—considered a living fossil and related to the ammonites, which became extinct at the end of the Mesozoic era—occurs in Pacific waters around New Caledonia. There is a large diversity of marine fish in the surrounding waters, which are within the extents of the Coral Sea. Several species of New Caledonia are remarkable for their size: "Ducula goliath" is the largest extant species of pigeon; "Rhacodactylus leachianus", the largest gecko in the world; "Phoboscincus bocourti" the largest skink in the world, thought to be