NEW CALEDONIA
New Caledonia is a collectivity of France, which is located in the region of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific.
The British navigator James Cook first sighted the island in 1774 and he gave it the Latin name for Scotland. In 1853 it was annexed by France and was organized as an overseas territory in 1946. Since 1986, New Caledonia has been on the United Nations List of non-self-governing territories.
After Papua New Guinea and New Zealand New Caledonia is the third largest island in the Pacific Region.
In addition to being the seat of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, which is an international organization, Noumea is also the capital of the country.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Unlike is neighbors, New Caledonia is not volcanic but a fragment of an ancient continent that drifted away some 250 million years ago. Grande Terre is the main island of the country and several smaller islands include, the Belep archipelago, the Loyalty Islands, the Île des Pins and the Chesterfield Islands and Bellona Reefs. New Caledonia is one of the northernmost parts of a submerged continent called Zealandia, which sank after drifting away from Australia 60–85 million years ago.
The country has a warm, subtropical climate with the cool season falling between April and August and the hottest period is from September to March. The wet season lies between January and March.
ECONOMY AND CURRENCY
CPF Franc is the monetary unit of New Caledonia and mining industry is the mainstay of the country’s economy and major exports are unprocessed minerals and refined nickel.. The other sectors on which the economy of the country rests are- agriculture (copra, coffee, and food crops); stock raising; fishing and forestry; tourism; and, most important, mining (especially nickel, iron, and manganese ores).
After Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii, the country boasts of the fourth largest economy in Oceania.
PEOPLE, LANGUAGES AND CULTURE
According to the latest estimate the population of the country is 227,436, out of which about 43 per cent of the population is composed of Melanesians (Kanaks), and about 37 per cent is European, mainly French, (Caldoches); the remaining inhabitants include Vietnamese, Polynesians, and Indonesians. New Caledonia is a multi-cultural society and majority of the population is Roman Catholic. In New Caledonia you will see a strong Melanesian influence in architecture, art and crafts, and hospitality, which is uniquely combined with a French influence and ambience, described as a 'taste of France in the South Pacific'.
The Melanesians have developed dance into an art form and the traditional pilou dance tells the stories of births, marriages, cyclones or preparations for battle. The colonial authorities banned pilous in 1951 for the high-energy and trance-like state they induced in the dancers.
The white New Caledonians are mostly descendents of the French convicts and have forged their own culture, more akin to that of rural Australians or rural Americans than the metropolitan French.
An estimated 27 Kanak languages coexist in New Caledonia, but after being actively discouraged by the French, there is no single unifying Kanak language. The official language however, is French and the vast majority of the people use it as their spoken and written language.
HOW TO REACH
From London to Nouméa the air travel time is 26 hours, including stopovers, but this may increase to 30 hours, depending on the day of travel and from Los Angeles it takes 14 hours with stopovers. Aircalin is the national airline and the main airport is Nouméa, which is 50km (31 miles) from the city. Taxi and coach services are available to the city from the airport.
TRAVEL DESTINATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Superb snorkeling and diving activities can be enjoyed in the marine reserves and around sunken shipwrecks and the popular sites include around Nouméa, the Amédée Lighthouse Reserve (including shark feeding), La Dieppoise (Royal Navy shipwreck), Ilot Maitre, the Prony Needle, the Tenia Horn, the Fault and the Hienghene Reef.
The Bay of Anse Vata and Côte Blanche, both in Nouméa, are the most popular locations for wind surfing, where international competitions attract some of the world's top competitors.
If you enjoy fishing there are several locations to visit- visit the coral barrier reef off Nouméa, which is excellent for underwater spear-fishing, as are waters around the Loyalty Islands. Yaté Lake is the main location for freshwater fishing and it is open January to October.
Humpback whales can be spotted during the mating season, between July to September, in the bays of the southern lagoon and Lifou and excursions are organized from Nouméa and south mainland to spot them.
Hire a kayak, a boat or a canoe and set out to explore New Caledonia's network of rivers, streams, lakes and coral reefs.
Hiking through the forest of Mount Koghi and horse riding excursions from Nouméa, Dumbea, La Foa, Bourail, Thio and the Koné villages are some other activities that are possible in the country.
Explore Noumea, which overlooks one of the world’s largest sheltered natural harbours and is also home to attractive squares, a cathedral, museums, a market, many old colonial houses and aquarium, one of the world's leading centres of marine scientific research.
Also visit Noumea's South Pacific Commission Building and New Caledonia Museum to see a collection of native handicrafts, the Museum of Maritime History for artifacts from numerous local wrecks and the Tjibaou Cultural Centre for concerts, plays and exhibitions celebrating indigenous culture.
4 km from Noumea are the Botanical and Zoological gardens, which are home to 700 species of animals and also nearby is the Amedee Lighthouse, constructed in Paris during the reign of Napoleon III and shipped to this coral reef in pieces.
Take a trip to the west coast for its pure white sand beaches, rainforest and offshore atolls. At the east coast is Hienghene, which has a lagoon surrounded by 120m- (400ft-) high black cliffs and the region is dotted with churches and Melanesian villages, forests, coconut palms and beautiful beaches.
Lying 70km (45 miles) off Grande Terre is the island of Ile des Pins, discovered by Captain Cook in 1774, which is exceedingly beautiful island has many white sand beaches, turquoise lagoons, lush rainforests, pines, orchids and ferns not to mention archaeological remains.
Shopping
At Noumea shop for souvenirs and take back with you such items as French clothes, mainly casual but sometimes haute couture, luxury French goods such as perfume, jewelry and footwear, and silk scarves, sandals and handbags from France and Italy can also be found. Be sure to take back some local products as well like curios made of shells, coral, woodcarving, ceramics, hand-painted materials and aloha shirts.
Nightlife
In the Anse Vata area there are plenty of discos and also casinos and in Nouméa the nightclubs are lively with both European and local floorshows. Noumea also has several cinemas, which show French films.
Cuisine
New Caledonia has an excellent choice of eating places and food. The various kinds of cuisines served by gourmet restaurants and bistros are African, Chinese, French, Indonesian, Italian and Spanish. Sample some of the national delicacies when visiting the country- Pacific spiny lobsters, prawns, crabs, mangrove oysters, salads of raw fish marinated in lime juice and Bougna, which is a fish or chicken wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on hot stones covered with sand. A good selection of French wine is available to go with the food.
GETTING AROUND
Air
Air Caledonia runs domestic flights maintaining regular services from Nouméa to airfields on the island, and the other smaller islands and the principal local airport is Magenta Airport, which is 6km (4 miles) from Nouméa city centre.
Water
A high-speed, inter-island catamaran, called ‘Betico’, runs regularly to Ile des Pins and Loyalty Islands from Grande Terre.
Road
Regular and frequent bus services are run throughout the island. Alternatively taxis, cars and bicycles can also be hired in order to explore the country by road.
WHERE TO STAY
Small and intimate hotels are available with prices ranging from moderate to expensive. At Anse Vata modern 3- and 5-star hotels have been built or fully renovated. Bungalow-style accommodation is also available in the remoter parts of the main island and in the outer islands.
If you are keen on experiencing the traditional way of life you can stay in Melanesian-style bungalows or huts where home-cooked meals may be booked in advance.
The Chamber of Agriculture regulated rural or farm stay accommodation is another option that can be tried out.
For camping accommodation, the major sites are in the rural lodging area and most sites include washrooms, toilets, barbecue facilities and mini-supermarkets.
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