News: A crucial mediation effort by French Overseas Minister Manuel Valls to establish a new political agreement for New Caledonia failed on May 8, throwing the French Pacific territory into deep political uncertainty. New Caledonia.
About New Caledonia
- New Caledonia is a French unique collectivity situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, approximately 900 miles (1,500 km) east of Australia.
- It includes several islands: the main island of Grande Terre (where the capital, Nouméa, is located), the Loyalty Islands, the Bélep Islands, and the Île des Pins.
- These account for over 99% of the territory’s landmass.
- It comprises distant uninhabited islets, such as the Chesterfield Islands, Bellona Reefs, Huon and Surprise Islands, and Walpole Island. France’s claim to Hunter and Matthew Islands is disputed by Vanuatu.
Physical Features
- The main island, Grande Terre, is a long, narrow landmass, approximately 310 miles (500 km) long and 30 miles (50 km) wide.
- It is mountainous, with two prominent peaks: Mount Humboldt (1,617 m) and Mount Panié (1,628 m).
- The island is bordered by a coral barrier reef, forming a large lagoon designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
- The nearby Loyalty Islands—Ouvéa, Lifou, and Maré—are made of coral limestone and have little surface water.
- New Caledonia experiences a subtropical climate with year-round rainfall, especially from December to March during the cyclone season.
- The east coast receives heavy rainfall (over 3,000 mm annually), while the west coast is relatively drier (less than 1,000 mm annually).
- Temperatures are generally moderate, averaging 22–24°C, with cyclonic winds common late in the hot season.
- The island’s vegetation includes rainforests, mangroves, savannas with niaouli trees, and sclerophyll shrubs.
- It is home to Amborella trichopoda, a rare plant linking conifers and flowering plants.
- There are no native land mammals except bats, and no venomous reptiles or malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The kagu, a rare flightless bird, is an endangered and iconic species of New Caledonia.
