New Caledonia Their social organization is traditionally based around clans, which identify as either "land" or "sea" clans, depending on their original location and the occupation of their ancestors. According to the 2009 census, the Kanak constitute 94% of the population in the Loyalty Islands Province, 74% in the North Province and 27% in the South Province. The Kanak tend to be of lower socio-economic status than the Europeans and other settlers. Europeans first settled in New Caledonia when France established a penal colony on the archipelago. Once the prisoners had completed their sentences, they were given land to settle. According to
New Caledonia rain forests could be extinct but many believe that it still persists. Both the New Caledonian owlet-nightjar and the New Caledonian lorikeet are believed to persist under similar circumstances. There are also another twenty or so endemic birds on the island, including the tool-using New Caledonian crow. See Endemic birds of New Caledonia for more details. The seashells from New Caledonia are in great demand by collectors. Biodiversity of New Caledonia Flannery, Tim (1994). "The Future Eaters". Grove Press, New York. New Caledonia rain forests The New Caledonia rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion, located in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.