New Caledonia February 27, 2020 accord de Nouméa , archipelago , Australian tectonic plate , Austronesian languages , colony , Coral Sea , France , French , French colony , Grande Terre , Heart of Voh , Île des Pins , Îles Chesterfield , Îles Loyauté , islands , kanak , lagon , langue kanak , Lifou , Maré , Mélanésie , New Caledonia , nickel , Nouméa , Oceania , Ouvéa , Pacific Ocean , Ring of Fire , tourism , Voh Official name New Caledonia Name in local language Nouvelle-Calédonie (fr) Continent Oceania Subcontinent Oceania Population (ranking: 191e ) 271,940 inhabitants (2020) Population growth 0.20 % / year Area 18,576 km² Density 14.64 inhabitants / km² GDP (ranking: 155e )9.396 billions $USD (2016) GDP/capita (ranking ) 33,722 $USD (2016) GDP growth 1.83 % / year (2016) Life expectancy (ranking ) 76.90 years (2016) Birth rate 15.40 ‰ (2016) Fertility rate 2.08 children / woman (2016) Death rate (ranking ) 5.70 ‰ (2016) Infant mortality rate (ranking ) 4.00 ‰ (2016) Literacy rate 100.00 % (2018) Official languages French Currency CFP franc (XPF) HDI (ranking: n.c. )0.000 / 1 (2017) EPI (ranking )0.00 (2018) Government Republik, Dependent territory of France Head of State President Emmanuel Macron National Day 14 July (French Revolution) ISO Codes NC, NCL Demonym New Caledonian, French Tourists (ranking ) 121,000 people (2017)
New Caledonia is an archipelago of Oceania located in the Pacific Ocean, 1,500 km east of Australia and 2,000 km north of New Zealand , north of the Tropic of Capricorn. A distant 17,000-kilometer metropolitan France , this community (former overseas territory) located in Melanesia has been under French sovereignty since 1853. Its maritime territory covers a gigantic area of 1,386,588 km2 and therefore represents a strategic space for France. Its population is estimated at approximately 271,940 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020.
Heart of Voh. Photo: Yann Arthus-Bertrand Cultural Centre Tjibaou, Nouméa Mounts Koghis – Peak Malaoui: view on Nouméa. Photo: Mickaël T. Urban areas (2019) Urban areas Population Nouméa 185,656 inhabitants
Administrative divisions Provinces Population Area Loyalty Islands 18,353 inhabitants 1,981 km² North 49,910 inhabitants 9,583 km² South 203,144 inhabitants 7,012 km²
See also