Country Data Sets for Pacific Biodiversity Information

You are currently viewing New Caledonia (Nouvelle Caledonie) [France]

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Capital: Noumea

Population: 221,943 (July 2007 est.)

Land Area: 18,575 sq km

No. of Islands: 1 main island, 5 small surrounding islands, several small, uninhabited island chains.

Lat/Long: 21’30″S, 165’30″E

Terrain: central mountains with coastal lowlands.

Climate:tropical, hot and humid

Common Flora: Mangrove swamps and grasslands dominate the western coast. There is a very distinctive looking pine tree Araucaria columnaris that is native to New Caledonia.

Common Fauna: Bats, rats, and birds are all native to New Caledonia. Larger, globally common species, such as dogs and cats, were later introduced. New Caledonia’s lagoon and reefs host a great diversity of marine life.

Notes: New Caledonia became an overseas territory of France in 1956.