New Caledonia 20-FRANCS (KM12)¶
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Reverse: ZEBU
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Obverse: Allegorical bust of France
- Composition
- Nickel
- Country
- New Caledonia
- Approx. Size
- 28.3mm
- Area
- Oceania/Australia
- Animal Class
- Mammals
- Species
- Zebu
- KM#
- 12
Zebu are a cattle breed well adapted to tropcial climates with about 75 different species around the world. They are characterized by their lyre shaped horns, droopy ears, and a large fatty hump on their shoulders.
The cows on this coin show the horns, but they have the wrong ears and seem to be missing the hump, so whether they are actually a zebu breed is questionable.
New Caledonia¶
- Area
- Oceania/Australia
New Caledonia is is an overseas territory of France consisting of one main island and several smaller islands in the southwest Pacific ocean. Sometime between 2014 and 2019 the approximately 250,000 residents will decide in a referendum whether to remain an autonomous overseas collectivity or become an independent state.New Caledonia is part of the mostly-submerged continent of Zeelandia, which is part of the ancient super-continent Gondwana. It broke off from Australia between 60-80 million years ago, and today contains unique flora and fauna descended from prehistoric Gondwanan forests.
New Caledonia is also one of the only countries to have two official flags. The one shown here is the Kanak flag, adopted in July 2010. The other official flag is the tri-colour flag of France.
