New Caledonia is the third largest island in the Pacific Region after Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. and has been a French colony since 1853. It became a French Overseas Territory in 1946. From time to time, attempts have been made by the indigenous population to free themselves from French rule. The most serious of these was the Kanak Revolt of 1878. In recent years, intermittent conflicts have flared up between the Melanesians and the French, reflecting the widely differing attitudes that exist towards the various plans for self-government.

In France itself, the traditional consensus between Gaullists and Socialists on colonial matters has broken down as regards New Caledonia, although both parties recognize the strategic importance of the island for nuclear testing.

Unlike its volcanic neighbors, New Caledonia is a fragment of an ancient continent which drifted away some 250 million years ago. Its flora and fauna evolved in isolation, and are now quite unique: 3500 recorded species of plants, three quarters of which occur only here; 4300 species of land animals, 1000 species of fish and 6500 species of marine invertebrates.

New Caledonia offers an endless variety of landscapes, from some of the best white sand beaches in the Pacific to spectacular mountain retreats. Surrounded by a 1600km- (1000 mile-) long coral reef, New Caledonia also boasts the largest lagoon in the world. The reef can be as close as a few kilometers from the coast in some places and as far as 65km (41 miles) in others - with an average depth of 40m (131ft).

Geography
New Caledonia consists of the Mainland, the Isle of Pines to the south of the Mainland, the Loyalty Islands to the east of the Mainland (Maré, Lifou, Tiga and Ouvéa), the Belep Archipelago in the northwest, and numerous islands and islets (Huon & Surprise, Christfield, Walpole, Beautémps-Beaupré, Astrolabe and the Bellona reef); a total surface area of 19,000 sq km (16,372 for the Mainland alone, which is 400km long). The Mainland is divided by a range of mountains (Châine Centrale), the highest points of which are Mount Pancé in the north (1629m) and Mount Humboldt in the south (1618m). Various species of trees can be found here. This unusual relief divides the Grande Terre/Mainland into the East coast (humid and open to trade winds; fertile and exotic with lush tropical vegetation) from the West coast (dry and temperate; filled with niaouli trees, cattle and beautiful beaches).