New Caledonia is an island in the Pacific Ocean, only two hours away from Australia (1,500km), two and a half hours away from New Zealand (2,000km), 9 hours away from Japan (7,000km), 10 hours away from Korea (7,800km).

Third largest archipelago in the Pacific (18,575 square km), New Caledonia is made up of the main Island (Grande Terre), the Isle of Pines to the south east, the Loyalty Islands (Maré, Lifou, Tiga and Ouvéa), to the east and finally, to the north west, the Belep Islands and lots of other little islands.

Grande Terre is the richest and most densely populated island in the archipelago. Along its entire length runs a mountain range whose highest peaks are Mount Panié in the north and Mount Humbolt in the south (both 1,618m). The highest points in the range are covered with diverse and often unique forests.

New Caledonia has been called the island of eternal spring with its tropical ocean climate and sunshine all year round. There are two main seasons with very short spells in-between:
• the hot season from December to March with average temperatures
around 25-27°C and brief tropical showers.
• the cool season from April to November with average temperatures around 20-23°C.

The population was estimated at 230,268 inhabitants in 2004 with 40% living in the Noumea area. It is characterized by the diversity of its cultural groups.