New Caledonia belongs to France and is in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Geographically, New Caledonia is much closer to Australia than France.
Originally a penal colony for 40 years and later a center for mining silver and gold, Nouméa was used as an American military headquarters for the South Pacific during World War II.
Research website numbeo lacks sufficient data to rank Nouméa on its comprehensive global quality of life rating which benchmarks 250 cities worldwide. Numbeo does evaluate New Caledonia on several individual factors. For instance, New Caledonia’s cost of living ranks in the most expensive 2%. New Caledonia also scores relatively poorly for safety (most dangerous 8%), health care (lowest 12%) pollution (worst 38%) and purchasing power (weakest 45%). On the positive side, New Caledonia rates among the lowest 40% for property price to income ratio.
New Caledonia is recognized by the Guinness World Records as home to the biggest surviving species of gecko. Known as the New Caledonian giant gecko, the tree-dwelling reptile can grow up to 11.8 inches (30 centimeters) long and 14 inches (36 centimeters) around.
From an international trade perspective, New Caledonia exported an estimated US$1.8 billion worth of products around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include ferro-alloys (50.7% of New Caledonia’s global total), nickel (43.5%), cobalt intermediate goods (1.5%), essential oils (0.3%), and fresh or chilled fish excluding fillets (0.1%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Nouméa, New Caledonia: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Amedee Lighthouse Island, Aquarium des Lagons Nouvelle Caledonie, Tjibaou Cultural Center, Military Museum of New Caledonia and Anse Vata Beach
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Nouméa, New Caledonia.
- Laurent Gané, Olympic cycling gold medalist (born Mar. 7, 1973)
- Robert Chef d’Hôtel, Olympic running silver medalist (born Feb. 2, 1922)
- Élodie Rogge-Dietrich, tennis player (born Sep. 3, 1983)
- Jean-Paul Lakafia, Olympic javelin thrower (born Jun. 29, 1961)
- Robert Sassone, Olympic cyclist (born Nov. 23, 1978)
- Lara Grangeon, Olympic swimmer (born Sep. 21, 1991)
- Paul Poaniéwa, Olympic high jumper (born Nov. 8, 1953)
- Alain Lazare, Olympic marathoner (born Mar. 23, 1952)
- Mayka Zima, tennis player (born Apr. 11, 1992)
- Sébastien Vahaamahina, rugby player (born Oct. 21, 1991)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a resident of New Caledonia: New Caledonian
Population: 93,060 (Nouméa) at September 2, 2020
Density: 5,200 people per square mile (2,036 per square kilometer)
Population: 285,985 (New Caledonia) at September 2, 2020
Density: 40 people per square mile (16 per square kilometer)
Median age for all New Caledonia: 33.6 years old
Financial
GDP: US$11.11 billion in 2017 (New Caledonia)
GDP per person: $39,953
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Nouméa were unavailable.
Official currency used in Nouméa: CFP franc
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook Australia-Oceania: New Caledonia.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Largest living gecko species.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Government of New Caledonia.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Nouméa.
Wikipedia, New Caledonia.
WorldOMeter, New Caledonia Population.
Residents celebrate New Caledonia Day each September 24.
Nouméa’s land area measures 17.6 square miles (45.7 square kilometers) with an estimated population of 93,060 residents at September 2, 2020.
New Caledonia’s land territory equals 7,058 square miles (18,280 square kilometers, home to 285,985 New Caledonians.
Population density is more concentrated within New Caledonia’s capital city Nouméa, averaging 5,200 residents per square mile (2,036 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to New Caledonia’s overall land boundaries, population density drops to an average 40 people per square mile (16 per square kilometer).
