New Caledonia

New Caledonia - or in long type Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies is a "sui generis collectivity" (in practice an overseas territory) of France, made up of a primary island (Grande Terre) and several small islands. It is located from the nation of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific. At about half the size of Taiwan, it has a nation area of 18,575.5 square sq. km. Population - 230,789 inhabitants. The capital and largest city of the territory is Noumea.

There's no better place to experience the Pacific having a taste of France than New Caledonia, where Melanesian tradition blends with French sophistication. This mix in the chic yet casual, tres French but ultimately Pacific comes together with peerless elan in Noumea, the cosmopolitan capital. Dining out and shopping run the gamut from gourmet restaurants to humble roulottes, from Chinatown's colourful shops on the expensively elegant, air-conditioned boutiques on rue de Sebastopol. Whenever you leave the capital, the urban scenery gives way to a wealth of changing landscapes - the rolling plains of la brousse (the bush), lush river valleys, steep mountains coursed by tumbling waterfalls, cool rainforests and wild coastlines.

Grande Terre could be the principal island with rugged mountains, waterfalls and the world's largest coral lagoon. On the Southeast, lies romantic Ile des Pins with its slender pines, white-sand beaches and emerald lagoon. To the east, life proceeds at a leisurely pace inside relaxed Loyalty Islands: Mare, steeped in Kanak culture, Lifou and Ouvea.

New Caledonia is surrounded by the world's largest enclosed lagoon, where marine treasures of all shapes and sizes lie waiting to be found - canyons and caves, exquisite coral, the smallest of tropical fish, turtles, sea snakes and sharks. Dolphin and whale spotting are other delights in store, or merely the luxury of total relaxation over a soft, warm sand of the deserted isle.