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-BertrandCultural Centre Tjibaou, NouméaMounts Koghis – Peak Malaoui: view on Nouméa. Photo: Mickaël T.
