Map of New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a country in Oceania with its capital at Nouméa, home to about 295,333 people across 18,576 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 2 ports recorded for New Caledonia in YearMaps.
- Population
- 295,333
- Area
- 18,576 km²
- Capital
- Nouméa
- Continent
- Oceania
Interactive Map of New Caledonia
Centred on Nouméa at 22.2625° S, 166.4443° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a French territory consisting of a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, 220 km (140 mi) southwest of Vanuatu and 1,210 km (750 mi) east of Australia. Located 16,100 km (10,000 mi) from Metropolitan France, it forms a sui generis collectivity of the French Republic, having a unique legal status enshrined in a dedicated chapter of the French Constitution.
The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and a few remote islets. The Chesterfield Islands are in the Coral Sea. French people, especially locals, call Grande Terre le Caillou, a nickname also used more generally for New Caledonia itself. Pro-independence Kanak parties use the name (la) Kanaky to refer to New Caledonia, a term coined in the 1980s from the ethnic name of the indigenous Melanesian Kanak people, who make up 41% of New Caledonia's population. New Caledonia is associated with the European Union as an overseas country and territory (OCT).
New Caledonia has a land area of 18,575 km2 (7,172 sq mi) divided into three provinces. The North and South Provinces are on the New Caledonian mainland, while the Loyalty Islands Province is a series of four inhabited islands off the east coast of mainland (from north to south: Ouvéa, Lifou, Tiga, and Maré). New Caledonia's population of 264,596 (April 2025 census) is of diverse origins and varies by geography; in the North and Loyalty Islands Provinces, the indigenous Kanaks predominate, while the wealthy South Province contains significant populations of European (Caldoches and Metropolitan French), Kanak, and Polynesian (mostly Wallisian) origin, as well as smaller groups of Southeast Asian, Pied-Noir, and North African heritage. The capital of New Caledonia is Nouméa.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: New Caledonia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of New Caledonia
The first humans settled in New Caledonia around 1600 B.C. The Lapita were skilled navigators, and evidence of their pottery around the Pacific has served as a guide for understanding human expansion in the region. Successive waves of migrants from other islands in Melanesia intermarried with the Lapita, giving rise to the Kanak ethnic group considered indigenous to New Caledonia. British explorer James COOK was the first European to visit New Caledonia in 1774, giving it the Latin name for Scotland. Missionaries first landed in New Caledonia in 1840. In 1853, France annexed New Caledonia to preclude any British attempt to claim the island. France declared it a penal colony in 1864 and sent more than 20,000 prisoners to New Caledonia in the ensuing three decades. Nickel was discovered in 1864, and French prisoners were directed to mine it. France brought in indentured servants and enslaved labor from elsewhere in Southeast Asia to work the mines, blocking Kanaks from accessing the most profitable part of the local economy. In 1878, High Chief ATAI led a rebellion against French rule. The Kanaks were relegated to reservations, leading to periodic smaller uprisings and culminating in a large revolt in 1917 that colonial authorities brutally suppressed. During World War II, New Caledonia became an important base for Allied troops, and the US moved its South Pacific headquarters to the island in 1942. Following the war, France made New Caledonia an overseas territory and granted French citizenship to all inhabitants in 1953, thereby permitting the Kanaks to move off the reservations. The Kanak nationalist movement began in the 1950s, but most voters chose to remain a territory in an independence referendum in 1958. The European population of New Caledonia boomed in the 1970s with a renewed focus on nickel mining, reigniting Kanak nationalism. Key Kanak leaders were assassinated in the early 1980s, leading to escalating violence and dozens of fatalities. The Matignon Accords of 1988 provided for a 10-year transition period. The Noumea Accord of 1998 transferred increasing governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia over a 20-year period and provided for three independence referenda. In the first held in 2018, voters rejected independence by 57% to 43%; in the second held in 2020, voters rejected independence 53% to 47%. In the third referendum held in 2021, voters rejected independence 96% to 4%; however, a boycott by key Kanak groups spurred challenges about the legitimacy of the vote. Pro-independence parties subsequently won a majority in the New Caledonian Government for the first time. France and New Caledonia officials remain in talks about the status of the territory.
- Location
- Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia.
- Climate
- Tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid.
- Terrain
- Coastal plains with interior mountains.
- Highest point
- Mont Panie 1,628 m.
- Lowest point
- Pacific Ocean 0 m.
- Coastline
- 2,254 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 0 km.
- Natural resources
- Nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 10.1% (2023 est.); arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 9.5% (2023 est.); forest: 48.8% (2023 est.); other: 41.1% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Cyclones, most frequent from November to March volcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active.
- Geographic note
- Consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyauté, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls.
- Languages
- French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects.
- Religions
- Christian 85.2%, Muslim 2.8%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 10.4% (2020 est.)
- 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.)
- Economy
- Upper-middle-income French Pacific territorial economy; enormous nickel reserves; ongoing French independence negotiations; large Chinese nickel exporter; luxury eco-tourism destination; large French aid recipient; high cost-of-living; lingering wealth disparities.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
New Caledonia in Numbers
- Population
- 295,333
- GDP
- US$8.5 billion
- GDP per person
- US$29,213
- Life expectancy
- 78.9 years
- Population growth
- 0.92% a year
- Population density
- 16 per km²
- Urban population
- 68.2%
- Surface area
- 18,576 km²
- Forest cover
- 48.0%
- Arable land
- 0.3%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 82.0%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
New Caledonia in Depth
History
New Caledonia was part of the continent Zealandia, which broke off from the supercontinent Gondwana and sank between 79 million and 83 million years ago. The earliest traces of human presence in New Caledonia date back to the period when the Lapita culture was influential in large parts of the Pacific, c. 1600–500 BC or 1300–200 BC. The Lapita were highly skilled navigators and agriculturists. The first settlements were concentrated around the coast and date back to the period between c. 1100 BC and AD 200.
British explorer James Cook was one of the first Europeans to sight New Caledonia, on 4 September 1774, during his second voyage.The northeast of the island reminded him of Scotland, so he named it New Caledonia, after the Latin name of that country.
Geography
New Caledonia is part of Zealandia, a fragment of the ancient Gondwana super-continent, which is part of Oceania. It is speculated that New Caledonia separated from Australia roughly 66 million years ago, subsequently drifting in a north-easterly direction, reaching its present position about 50 million years ago.
The mainland is divided in length by a central mountain range whose highest peaks are Mont Panié (1,629 m or 5,344 ft) in the north and Mont Humboldt (1,618 m or 5,308 ft) in the southeast. The east coast is covered by lush vegetation. The west coast, with its large savannahs and plains suitable for farming, is a drier area. Many ore-rich massifs are found along this coast.
The Diahot River is the longest river of New Caledonia, flowing for some 100 kilometres (62 mi).
Economy
New Caledonia has one of the largest economies in the South Pacific, with a GDP of US$9.48 billion in 2019. The nominal GDP per capita was US$34,939 (at market exchange rates) in 2019. It is lower than the nominal GDP per capita of Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and Guam, but higher than all other independent and non-sovereign countries and territories in Oceania, although there is significant inequality in income distribution, and long-standing structural imbalances between the economically dominant South Province and the less developed North Province and Loyalty Islands. The currency in use in New Caledonia is the CFP franc, as of May 2020, pegged to the euro at a rate of 119.3 CFP to 1.00 euros. It is issued by the Institut d'Émission d'Outre-Mer.
Demographics
At the last census in April 2025, New Caledonia had a population of 264,596, down from 271,407 at the September 2019 census, as people left the territory due to an economic crisis and recent unrest. Of these 264,596 people, 18,671 lived in the Loyalty Islands Province, 50,947 in the North Province, and 194,978 in the South Province.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: New Caledonia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
New Caledonia: Key Facts
| Currency | CFP Franc |
|---|---|
| Official language | French |
| Head of government | Philippe Germain |
| Calling code | +687 |
| Internet domain | .nc |
| Established | 1853 |
Facts from Wikidata Q33788 (CC0).
Visiting New Caledonia
New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie) is a dependent overseas territory of France lying in the western Pacific Ocean, in the Coral Sea, to the east of Australia and west of Vanuatu. The territory consists of the main island of Grande Terre, the archipelago of the Loyalty Islands (Îles Loyauté), and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls.
New Caledonia offers beaches, mountaintop fondue in chalets, camping, amazing snorkelling and diving, and fabulous French food.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: New Caledonia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in New Caledonia
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nouméa | 93,060 | Sud | Admin-0 region capital |
Highest Mountains in New Caledonia
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mont Panié | 1,628 m | 5,341 ft | Oceania |
Mont Panié
Mountain · 1,628 m
Mont Panié is a mountain rising to 1,628 metres (5,341 ft) in New Caledonia and France, in the Oceania region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Mont Panié is a mountain on the island of Grande Terre in New Caledonia, a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean. At 1,628 metres (5,341 ft), it is the island's highest point. Mont Panié is situated in the Chaîne Centrale mountain range. The second highest peak on the island, Mount Humboldt, is nearly as tall as Mont Panié, with an elevation of 1,618 metres (5,308 ft).
Adapted from Wikipedia: Mont Panié (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 1,628 m (5,341 ft)
- Global rank
- #475 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Oceania (#22)
- Subregion
- Melanesia
- Countries
- New Caledonia, France
- Coordinates
- -20.5900°, 164.7700°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Mont Panié ranks #475 by elevation, below Gora Stokap (1,634 m) and above Mount Bartle Frere (1,622 m).
- Ranges:
- Great Dividing Range (Oceania), Owen Stanley Range (Oceania)
- Settlements below:
- Nouméa (254 km)
More about Mont Panié
Mont Panié: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 1,628 m |
|---|---|
| Mountain range | Chaîne centrale |
Facts from Wikidata Q1945432 (CC0).
Ports in New Caledonia
2 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baie de Kouaoua | 49.4 m | Very Small | Pacific Islands & Hawaii | medium vessels |
| 2 | Baie Ugue | — | Very Small | Pacific Islands & Hawaii | large vessels |
Largest Islands of New Caledonia
2 islands recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nouvelle-CaléDonie | 193,135 km² | Island group |
| 2 | Île de Pins | 136 km² | Island |
Countries Bordering New Caledonia
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Oceania
New Caledonia: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of New Caledonia?
- The capital of New Caledonia is Nouméa.
- What is the population of New Caledonia?
- New Caledonia has a population of about 295,333, the #183 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is New Caledonia?
- New Caledonia covers 18,576 km², ranking #157 by area, with about 16 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is New Caledonia in?
- New Caledonia is in Oceania.
- Which countries border New Caledonia?
- New Caledonia shares a land or maritime border with Australia.
- What is the largest city in New Caledonia?
- Nouméa is the largest city in New Caledonia, with a metropolitan population of about 93,060.
- What is the highest mountain in New Caledonia?
- The highest summit recorded for New Caledonia in YearMaps is Mont Panié at 1,628 m (5,341 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.