Introducing New Caledonia
New Caledonia is an archipelago in Oceania in the Southwest Pacific, 20,000 km from metropolitan France, 2,000 km from New Zealand and 1,500 km from Australia.
Area: 18,875 km2
Population: 269,000 (INSEE census conducted in 2014)
Capital: Nouméa
Language: French
Language of study: French
Status: “Sui generis”; French overseas collectivity managed by the Matignon-Oudinot Agreement and the Nouméa Agreement
Educational system: French/European
Political organisation: Congress and Government of New Caledonia; three provinces (South, North and Islands)
Climate:Tropical, temperate
Environmental capital: Global hotspot for terrestrial and marine biodiversity with high endemicity rates. Lagoon classified in 2008 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Main asset: Nickel mining
Currency: Pacific Franc (XPF)
Area code: + 687
Time zone: +11 GMT
