TERRITORY PORTRAIT · THE WORLD ATLAS

New Caledonia

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Photo: Quentin Fahrner on Unsplash · Unsplash License

AT A GLANCE

New Caledonia in facts

  • CapitalNouméa
  • Population295,3332025
  • Area18,576 km²slightly smaller than New Jersey
  • CurrencyCFP Franc
Map: Natural Earth (public domain) · Open in the world map
All geographic & statistical details (39)
Density
16 people per km²
Official name
Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
Local name
Nouvelle-Calédonie
Government
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Congress); an overseas collectivity of France
World region
Oceania · Melanesia
Official language
French
People are called
New Caledonian
Founded
1853
Time zone
UTC+11:00
Calling code
+687
Drives on the
right
Land borders
None
Coastline
2,254 km
Lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
Climate
Tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain
Coastal plains with interior mountains
Economy (GDP)
US$8.5 billion (2024)
Land use
Agri 10.1%Forest 48.8%Other 41.1%
GDP per person
US$29,213 (2024)
Natural resources
nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese
+ 4 moreShow lesssilver, gold, lead, copper
Unemployment
11.2% (2025)
Life expectancy
78.9 years (2024)
Median age
34.6 years (2025 est.)
Major urban areas
Noumea (capital) (000)
Urban population
Urban 72.7%Rural 27.3%(2023)
Administrative subdivisions
3 first-order regions
Ethnic groups
Kanak 39.1%, European 27.1%, Wallisian, Futunian 8.2%, Tahitian 2.1%, Indonesian 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1%, Vietnamese 0.9%, other 17.7%, unspecified 2.5% (2014 est.)
Religions
Christian 85.2%, Muslim 2.8%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 10.4% (2020 est.)
Railways & airports
21 airports
UNESCO World Heritage
1 (natural); note - excerpted from the France entry
Plug types
Schuko, Europlug
Mains voltage
220 V
Emergency numbers
112
Internet domain
.nc
ISO & UN codes
NC · NCL · M49 540
Official website
gouv.nc (opens in a new tab)
Name origin
The name came from British explorer Captain James Cook in 1774 and uses the Latin name for Scotland, Caledonia
Names in other languages
Nuova Caledonia, Neukaledonien, 新喀里多尼亞, Nieuw-Caledonië, Nueva Caledonia, Nouvelle-Calédonie
+ 21 moreShow lessニューカレドニア, Новая Каледония, Nowa Kaledonia, كاليدونيا الجديدة, নতুন ক্যালিডোনিয়া, کالدونیای جدید, ન્યુ કેલેડોનિયા, नया कैलेडोनिया, Kaledonia Baru, ನ್ಯೂ ಕ್ಯಾಲೆಡೋನಿಯಾ, 누벨칼레도니, ന്യൂ കാലിഡോണിയ, न्यू कॅलिडोनिया, ਨਿਊ ਕੈਲੇਡੋਨੀਆ, Nova Caledónia, நியூ கலிடோனியா, న్యూ కాలెడోనియా, นิวแคลิโดเนีย, Yeni Kaledonya, Нова Каледонія, نیو کیلیڈونیا
Capital location
22.3°S, 166.4°E

Maritime & nearby neighbours (1 place)

Neighbours from Wikidata (land borders and some sea borders; only places with a page here).

Facts: Wikidata Q33788, World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0: population, economy, life expectancy) and the CIA World Factbook (public domain: geography, demographics, borders, coastline and symbols), retrieved 1 November 2026. Figures can change; check the source for the latest.

FLAG & SYMBOLS

The flag and symbols of New Caledonia

The flag

The country has two official flags with equal status, the flag of France and the Kanak (ethnic Melanesian) flag; the latter consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a large yellow disk shifted slightly to the left side is edged in black and displays a black fleche faîtière symbol, a native rooftop adornment.

National coloursGreyRed
Coat of arms
Coat of arms or emblem of New Caledonia

Image: J.delanoy / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

National animals and emblems
Flèche Faîtière (Native Rooftop Adornment)
Kagu Bird
National anthem

"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle

National day

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description and meaning, colours, symbols, anthem details, national day and independence: CIA World Factbook (public domain). Coat of arms, motto and recording: Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (credited above). Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), retrieved 1 November 2026.

There is more to explore.Discover the regions of New CaledoniaExplore regions
ON THE ATLAS · CHRONICLE IN PREPARATION

Discover New Caledonia

This is a sourced directory entry. A researched regional chronicle and verified location photography are in preparation.

Special-status collectivity

French overseas association: France. Status & relationship source ↗

A CLOSER LOOK

Explore the regions

3 entries

Explore the first-order regions in this GeoNames snapshot. Local names and levels vary.

Names and immediate parent assignments: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0, 28 October 2026. Unspecified code 00 excluded. This is not an exhaustive list of districts, counties or municipalities. Photographs are credited individually beneath each image; one pictured place does not represent every landscape in its region.

FROM THE JOURNAL

Stories from New Caledonia

Our editorial journey here is still ahead. No researched stories have been published for this place yet.

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Directory: UN M49 countries or areas, with 193 UN members, 2 observers and 53 other areas. Subdivisions: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0; filtered to this catalogue. Flags/symbols: flag-icons (MIT). Snapshot: 28 October 2026. Geographic groups are statistical. Associated-country links describe the cited relationship and do not settle sovereignty claims.

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