New Caledonia

New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie; popular names: Kanaky, Le caillou) is a French territory made up of a main island and several smaller islands, in the southwest Pacific. It has a land area of 18,575.5 km² (7,172 sq. miles). The population at the 2004 census was 230,789 inhabitants. It has an Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of .nc. The capital and largest city of the territory is Nouméa.

Administration

Along with other Pacific Ocean's territories of French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia is part of the French Republic. Its official status is that of a sui generis collectivity (collectivité sui generis), a status unique in the French Republic. New Caledonia was a colony until 1946, then an overseas territory (territoire d'outre-mer, or TOM) from 1946 to 1999. The capital is Nouméa.

Related Topics:
French Polynesia - Wallis and Futuna - French Republic - Sui generis - Collectivité sui generis - Colony - 1946 - Territoire d'outre-mer - 1999 - Nouméa

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~