All countries
New Caledonia
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Congress); an overseas collectivity of France
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.
Profile
CapitalNoumea
Population308K
GDP$8.5B
Area18,575 km²
LanguageFrench (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
CurrencyComptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -
At a Glance
Population
308K
GDP (PPP)
$8B
