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Cook,
James
(1728-1779), British explorer and navigator, famous for his three voyages of exploration in the South Pacific Ocean and the coastal waters of
North America. Although Cook is best known as the discoverer of the Hawaiian Islands, his greatest achievements were the broad scope of his
exploration and his detailed, careful documentation of his discoveries.
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Discovered in 1774 by captain James Cook, he named the island of New Caledonia in memory of his native Scotland. Its county town, Nouméa,
is created in 1854. On September 24th 1853, New Caledonia was declared a French territory. The convict prison created by Napoleon III, in 1864, closed
in 1897. In 1946, New Caledonia became an over sea territory.
The institutional organization of New Caledonia derives from the referendum law of November 9th 1988, which created 3 provinces (the Northern
province, the Southern province, the Islands province); these ones are territorial collectivises of the Republic. They manage themselves freely by
assemblies elected for 6 years by the direct universal suffrage. The three province assemblies constitute the Congress. The government representative
takes care of the executive assisted by an advisory committee.
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